Northern Lights and Atmospheric phenomena

Northern lights 

Northern lights at Kirkkonummi, Finland 13 of August 2024. Northern Lights are born when charged particles from sun hit the Earth's magnetic field, which guides the particles to hit the upper atmosphere molecules in north and south poles of Earth. 

Aurora as animated gif.

Northern lights in Finland, Oulu - Nallikari 15th of February 2025. 

Animated gif of images taken during 18:55 - 19:00 local time. Exposures are 5 seconds.

Northern lights in Oulu 22nd of March 2025. They were bright and could be seen in Oulu City center. Images by Hannes Rabb.

Northern lights at Kirkkonummi, Finland 7-8.10.2015. Camera Canon Eos 60Da. Exposure 8 seconds, ISO6400.

Images below were taken at Kirkkonummi 17.3.2015

Halos

Halos form when light bended by small ice particles in the air. In the image Tahko 23.2.2022 there is 22 degree arch and zenith arch.  In the image Kirkkonummi, 5.2.2016 there is halo forms: 22 degrees side arches and sun pillar. Outside temperature was -19 degrees Celsius. In the image Kirkkonummi 3.5.2021 are: 22 degree ring and side arches and a horizon ring.  In image Kirkkonummi 17.1.2021 there is a fog arch.

Halos at Kirkkonummi 17th of April 2017. Outside temperature was +1 degrees Celsius. In the image below there is halo form: 22 degrees arch.

Halos at Sepänkylä close to Vaasa 16th of June 1982. Here we can see several halo forms.

Night clouds

Night clouds in sky of Kirkkonummi 2.8.2021 and in Vesijärvi Lahti 2016. Night clouds  are tenuous cloud-like phenomena in the upper atmosphere. They are visible in a deep twilight. They are made of ice crystals. They are most commonly observed in the summer months at latitudes between 50° and 70° north and south of the equator. These clouds can be observed only during local summer months and when the Sun is below the horizon for the observer, but while the clouds are still in sunlight.

Ruisrock music festival, Turku Finland, 8th of July 2018. While Marshmello was performing there was beautiful night clouds in the sky.

Polar Stratospheric Clouds

Colorfull polar stratospheric clouds (pearl clouds) in Vaasa and Oulu in Finland in January 2025. These clouds are in 15-25 kilometers height, and temperature there is below -78 C.  They are best seen, when the Sun is between 1 and 6 degrees below the horizon,  They are composed of supercooled droplets of water and nitric acid.  Other type of pearl clouds consists only of ice crystals.  Images were taken by Tiina Rabb in Vaasa and Hannes Rabb in Oulu.

Meteors

Meteors are stones which burn in atmosphere  when they hit it with speed of 20-30 kilometers per second.

A meteor in constellation of Cassiopeia 21.8.1982. 

Lightning

A method to capture lightning: Take HD-video, and extract the video frames where ligthning is visible. Images below in Turku 1st of July 2024.

Lightning in Vesijärvi and Kirkkonummi