Not clad in red on horseback with blood-curdling cries of “Yoiks” and “Tally-ho” but out in the quiet Arctic cold, hoping for glimpses of the Northern Lights or, more scientifically, the Aurora Borealis.
And the fox?
Well, in Finland, the Northern Lights are known as “Revontulet” which translates to Fox Fire in English.
One Sami legend has it that, as the Arctic Fox runs across the hills or fells his bushy tail moves so fast it whips up the snow and generates sparks which light up the sky. Of course, there are also less romantic scientific theories.
Whatever the reason for them, a good display of the Northern Lights is one of the most magical and mysterious sights we ever get to see, and even a mild display has an ethereal quality that only increases the desire to see the more spectacular version.
Last night (12th January 2014) looking out at the sky above Äkäslompolo in Finnish Lapland, there seemed to be just a hint of a green glow even with a bright moon.
We’ve been here before… often just prior to spending a fruitless evening in a cold car getting a stiff neck leaning forward and looking upwards.
A “Quiet” display is normally a bit of a green glow in the sky. That’s the one that’s usually accompanied with a lot of pointing and “is that something” type questions. The hope is that this is just the beginning, and that the green glow will gradually and magically transform into a “Active” display.
Fortunately, despite the cold, the decision was made to go out. On the way through the village there were hints of green in the sky, but, even when on arriving at a handy lay-by to the North of the village, it was clearly still a “Quiet” display, with only the typical arch of green fading in and out.
Once out, the temptation is to photograph anything, if only to justify the decision of not going to bed to yourself. That can be quite interesting in the arctic where, with the help of a slow shutter speed, it’s never quite as dark as you think. One of the result of that was this image of the Orion constellation, accompanied by some lovely clear moon shadows.
Anyway, after several rushes out of the car to take photographs, then jumping back in to the warmth before body and camera get too cold to operate, it started to look like the display was becoming a bit more “Active”.
This is when you hold your breath and hope that the fox has his running shoes on and is feeling fit. Then, if you're anything like me, you wish you were a professional photographer and could do more than set a really slow shutter speed, point and hope!
It does look great on photographs, and possibly more so on video. But standing out in the snow watching it all happening in silence, is really one of the most fantastic things to experience.
Thanks Mr Fox for a cracking display last night! Fingers and cameras soon return to normal temperature, but the unique spectacle is recorded for ever in the mind.
A quick look at the thermometer showed that it was just hovering above -30C (-22F).
With a warm bed beckoning, it's never an easy decision to pull on multiple layers of clothing to keep the cold at bay, find hat and gloves, camera, tripod and back-up batteries, then warm up the car to drive out of the village to a nice dark spot to watch and wait, hoping for a good display.
In the Arctic, the Northern Lights are supposed to be visible some 200 nights of the year. There is though a big difference between the “Quiet” display and the “Active” display which is what we really want to see.
A “Quiet” display is normally a bit of a green glow in the sky. That’s the one that’s usually accompanied with a lot of pointing and “is that something” type questions. The hope is that this is just the beginning, and that the green glow will gradually and magically transform into a “Active” display.
Fortunately, despite the cold, the decision was made to go out. On the way through the village there were hints of green in the sky, but, even when on arriving at a handy lay-by to the North of the village, it was clearly still a “Quiet” display, with only the typical arch of green fading in and out.
Once out, the temptation is to photograph anything, if only to justify the decision of not going to bed to yourself. That can be quite interesting in the arctic where, with the help of a slow shutter speed, it’s never quite as dark as you think. One of the result of that was this image of the Orion constellation, accompanied by some lovely clear moon shadows. Anyway, after several rushes out of the car to take photographs, then jumping back in to the warmth before body and camera get too cold to operate, it started to look like the display was becoming a bit more “Active”.
This is when you hold your breath and hope that the fox has his running shoes on and is feeling fit. Then, if you're anything like me, you wish you were a professional photographer and could do more than set a really slow shutter speed, point and hope!
For a short time, there was a really nice display, long enough anyway to capture a couple of images of just how unique and vivid the display can be.
When a good display gets going, it really is one of the most remarkable things that you will ever see, with the light moving and flowing to its own rhythm in complete silence.
It does look great on photographs, and possibly more so on video. But standing out in the snow watching it all happening in silence, is really one of the most fantastic things to experience.
Thanks Mr Fox for a cracking display last night! Fingers and cameras soon return to normal temperature, but the unique spectacle is recorded for ever in the mind.
The Northern Lights are notoriously unpredictable, although the level of activity is supposed to coincide with sunspot activity, which is supposed to be at a maximum during 2013 and 2014.
The Auroras Now! site is a space weather service maintained by the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) to help watching auroras in Finland. This was the original trigger for our little adventure.
Good Luck to all other followers of the fox.
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