Nordly's Northern Lights

Winter's coming. That means long nights, cold temperatures and (if you live far enough north) the northern lights!

Today's FamilyFirst site is Nordly's Northern Lights. It celebrates that phenomenon known as Aurora Borealis. The site is from Norway, so those folks ought to be experts in the amazing celestial light show.

So maybe you've never heard of the northern lights? Possibly, if you live in latitudes closer to the equator. So I'll let Nordly define them: “Northern lights is the name of a light phenomenon often seen in the northern regions. The lights have been around since Earth formed an atmosphere -the dinosaurs saw it, early humans saw it and our descendants will se it. The scientific name for the phenomenon is “Aurora Borealis”, aurora for short. “

So there you go. The site features a meter that tells you what the current auroral viewing conditions are (a strong 8 as of presstime).

Of course, many of you may be in the same boat as yours truly, i.e. You live too far south to see them. In 1988, Northwest Arkansas was treated to a show that turned the entire sky orange, but not since. That's okay, the site has a spectacular slide show of auroral photographs for your viewing pleasure.

And what stunning photos they are! Gorgeous shots of the lights over frozen terrain, behind ghostly trees, weaving patterns of curtains, spirals, and clouds will leave you stunned, and wishing you could journey up north to see them yourself.

So enjoy your virtual viewing of the northern lights. And you might even drop Nordly an email letting him know how much you enjoyed it.

http://www.northern-lights.no

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