Mater

The Auroras, also called the Polar Lights, are known as Aurora Borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere. To describe the almost other-worldly display of colours dancing through the sky on paper, is almost impossible.

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Standing outside - looking up, as these vast lights perform around you, you feel as though you are witness to something so majestic it is almost beyond belief. It makes you feel very humble indeed.

The Auroras have their scientific origin, of course, linked to interactions between the solar wind and the earth's magnetic field and atmosphere, but this knowledge only serves to make it even more awe-inspiring. For more information on the scientific background, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A398919

As for the best places to see Aurora Borealis, for me personally, that would probably have to be Northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Aurora Borealis has been seen as far south as Scotland - and in Norway, where it is usually only seen above the Arctic Circle, it has in recent years been seen as far south as a few miles south of the capital, Oslo - in my own hometown - a very unexpected occurrence. This indicates, perhaps, the changes taking place in our atmosphere at the present time.

We should remember, too, that although these apparently miraculous sights are wonderful to behold, they aren't altogether harmless. They can play havoc with power production for instance, which goes to show that there are Powers beyond our control. But sometimes a little knowledge is too much knowledge. What was previously seen as almost miraculous events become signs that something is not as it should be in the universe. Sometimes we don’t need to know. Enjoying the moment is enough.