He is out in the dark on Tuesday evening to capture even more Northern Lights images. Three explosions on the sun in three days have resulted in unusually good conditions. – Since it got dark, there has been an insane aurora. It still is. I guess they see it in Oslo, he says enthusiastically to news as the wind blows around him. Do you see northern lights? We would like to show them off! Your browser does not support the embedding of external content Have been waiting Northern lights hunter Frank Olsen has spent the whole weekend hunting for northern lights pictures. At the weekend there were good opportunities. The reason is that there have been three large explosions on the sun, three days in a row. The Meteorological Institute has reported a KP index of 7 three days in a row. This means that the northern lights can be seen as far south as Germany. But the really big aurora explosion has been long overdue. Night to Monday, and now tonight, however, there are suddenly enormous images unfolding in the sky. This is how the northern lights that northern lights hunter Frank Olsen caught on camera over Sortland looked like on the night of Sunday. Olsen has taken several million Northern Lights photos since he started in 2008. Photo: Frank Olsen / Vesteralen Photo – We have been waiting for the Super Northern Lights explosion for days now. It has not yet arrived. That’s why we’re a bit stuck, Olsen told news at the weekend. Now the tone is different: – The evening is still young. I’ll stay out here to take more pictures. Today I must have taken 200 good photos. The Northern Lights hunter believes that it is about the formation of a kind of queue. – If the first person in line goes slowly, the others are left standing in a kind of queue, he explains. Frank Olsen has been photographing the northern lights since 2008 and keeps a close eye on the northern lights forecast daily. Photo: Frank Olsen / VESTERALEN PHOTO If there are faster protons at the back of the queue, they can stop a little. It could also be that the explosions occurred slightly on the edge of the sun as seen from Earth. This again means that there will be more good opportunities to see the northern lights. Probably both today and tomorrow, according to the northern lights hunter. Clouds await in the south But even though good opportunities for northern lights were reported as far south as Germany, conditions in the south of the country have been poor for northern lights hunters. – The problem this weekend is that there have been a bit too many clouds. Many have not seen it because of that, says on-duty meteorologist Eldbjørg Moxnes. The night to Sunday there were a lot of clouds almost as far north as Bodø, she says. During the night to Monday there were also quite a lot of clouds. Some lucky photographers got pictures of the northern lights as far south as Telemark this weekend. These photos were taken in Øksnes municipality in Nordland Photo: Edvin Ellingsen / private The KP index is also at 7 tonight. It is high enough for the flickering green, purple or red light to be seen all over Norway. – But with up to 100 percent cloud cover it becomes difficult. It will be uniformly gray both day and night in the next few days in southern Norway, says the meteorologist. Up north, on the other hand, you have better luck. Nordland will get clear weather over the next couple of evenings. The same will be true in the inner regions of Troms and Finnmark. Illustration: Brekke / Storm.no Space researcher Pål Brekke at the Norwegian Space Center explains how to tell when such solar storms hit the earth – The storm has sent a large cloud of gas towards the earth’s magnetic field. Based on satellite images, it is possible to estimate approximately when it will arrive on Earth. But in order for us to see the northern lights, things must work: – The solar storm’s magnetic field must be opposite to the Earth’s magnetic field. If that happens, you get a strong connection and what you warn of as strong northern lights. Brekke says that it took time for the solar storm to have an effect on the earth. – Some hit during the day Norwegian time on Sunday, but last night between 01-02 there were great northern lights over southern Norway for those who had a bit of clear weather Good year for northern lights Olsen from Sortland had planned to go to Andøya today, but the weather forecast was not good enough. Instead, he has driven towards Lofoten. The weather forecast was better there. – It really boils down to the weather that prevails as to whether there will be aurora borealis or not in northern Norway, from the Arctic Circle northward, he says. But if it’s cloudy where you live, don’t despair. In Lifjorden in Øksnes municipality in Nordland, Edvin Ellingsen was able to capture these green colors in the Northern Lights. Photo: Edvin Ellingsen / private The sun has recently reached the peak of its 11-year cycle, explains the northern lights hunter. – Then it reaches the Solar Maximum. This means significantly increased activity on the sun and then also more solar wind, which means more northern lights. So there will be many good opportunities for northern lights in the future if the weather is good enough. Frank Olsen says that the key to a good Northern Lights photo is a long shutter speed. Therefore, a tripod can help a lot, if you cannot afford an expensive camera or lenses. Photo: Frank Olsen / VESTERALEN PHOTO – In general, aurora activity last year, this year and next year is very high. In this sense, there are good aurora borealis throughout this year. In any case, he believes there may be good opportunities for the northern lights both this evening, Monday and Tuesday. Olsen’s advice is: get out. It does not need to be on the equipment. – If you have a newer mobile phone, you will get perfectly decent pictures. And with a tripod you can be even more satisfied with the outcome. Published 06.10.2024, at 21.46 Updated 07.10.2024, at 21.55
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– The northern lights stand in a sort of queue on their way to earth – news Nordland
