Like many people, one of my bucket list items is to see the Northern Lights, but because I am not a fan of cold weather if I do travel it will probably be somewhere warmer, I am thankful that others that have gone there share their videos and pictures.
Above is the first 360-degree video I have seen; you can use your mouse to drag around the screen to get a view just like if you were standing there and turning around and looking up, which is very cool.
At the end of video credits, Willam Briscoe Alaskan Photography is to thank for this wonderful video. The only thing I don't like is the annoying emojis that pop up - I guess they are reactions to the video, but I think it is the video speaks for itself and it is not only unnecessary but detracts from the experience.
Northern Lights Center indicates the magical dance of lights at the magnetic North Pole is the result of:
"Colisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.
The connection between the Northern Lights and sunspot activity has been suspected since about 1880. Thanks to research conducted since the 1950's, we now know that electrons and protons from the sun are blown towards the earth on the 'solar wind'
The above site had looked up years ago when my son was learning about them in school. I had not thought about it or aware before then, but the South Pole experiences the same phenomenon.
Northern Lights Center also has explained about the legends of the lights and because I was hugely into folklore tales when I was around 5th and 6th grade below is a quote from their site on this:
"Aurora borealis', the lights of the northern hemisphere, means 'dawn of the north'. 'Aurora australis' means 'dawn of the south'. In Roman myths, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn. \par Many cultural groups have legends about the lights. In medieval times, the occurrences of auroral displays were seen as harbingers of war or famine. The Maori of New Zealand shared a belief with many northern people of Europe and North America that the lights were reflections from torches or campfires.
The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed that the lights indicated the location of manabai'wok (giants) who were the spirits of great hunters and fishermen. The Inuit of Alaska believed that the lights were the spirits of the animals they hunted: the seals, salmon, deer and beluga whales. Other aboriginal peoples believed that the lights were the spirits of their people"
Screenshots below are from the above video:
