Origin

The word "aurora" comes from the Latin word for "dawn, morning light", since auroras were formerly thought to be the first light of dawn.

Formation of Northern lights

• Auroras are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma (Solar Storm), mainly in the form of electron sand protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere / exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost.
• The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying color and complexity.
• The form of the aurora, occurring within bands around both polar regions, is also dependent on the amount of acceleration imparted to the precipitating particles.

The wise place to see the door of heaven.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, the sky glows with the aurora borealis. Located just two degrees below the Arctic near international airport and close to the impressive Denali National Park, Fairbanks is the best place in the U.S. to take in the northern lights.

7 Magical places to view the Auroras

• Iceland
• Fairbanks, Alaska
• Yellowknife, Canada
• Tromso, Norway
• Northern Sweden and Finland
• Greenland
• Tasmania and New Zealand

Occurrence of Auroras

The last peak of the Solar Cycle was 2014 and the next predicted peak is 2025. This occurrence happens every 11 years. Springtime (March/April) and Autumn (September/October) contain the most "geomagnetically disturbed days" which means more aurora activity. Midnight-to-2am is the best time to see the northern lights.

Northern light photography settings

Step 1: Set to Manual

• Turn off image stabilization. Turn off flash.

Step 2: ISO setting as 1600

Step 3: Aperture = f-stop

• f-2.8 or even low.

Step 4: Shutter speed

• 20 seconds. Mount it on a tripod.

Step 5: Zoom & Focus

• Zoom out (lowest mm setting on your lens)
• Set to the infinity symbol, if you have one: ∞
• Pre-set your focus during the day
• Zoom in on a star or the Moon, set the focus and zoom back out

Step 7: Remotely release the shutter

• Use a remote control, or a 2 sec. self-timer.