Sunday, November 16, 2014

Aurora Borealis, Norway


Aurora Borealis, most commonly known as the Northern Lights, are not only a breathtaking site to witness, but also have an astounding story behind their occurrence; which is fitting because it makes up one of the Seven Wonders of the World. If you have ever wondered how one of these spectacular light shows occurs, then you are in luck because you are about to find out. As I investigated the background of this stunning phenomenon, the facts and details only adds to its beauty. So, here it goes!

Before the lights are even visible to the human eye, we must trace back to where the particles come from that create the Northern Lights. These particles that we are talking about are discharged from the sun. They escape the sun's surface through portals that are called Sun Spots. The flying plasma particles enter space, also known as Solar Winds, as they begin their journey toward Earth. To reach Earth, the particles travel 93 million miles. Moving at extraordinary speeds, the solar wind particles span this vast distance in two to three days, which means they cover about one million miles per second. The particles are drawn towards Earth's magnetic North and South poles. Earth's atmosphere can usually deflect these particles due to its magnetic field, but when the Solar Flares are strong (when the sun is more active than normal) the sun produces larger amounts of discharged particles; when these large amounts of particles come into contact with the Earth's magnetic field, it deforms slightly, letting the particles pass through. As the sun's particles penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, they come into contact with different gases. The mingling of Oxygen and Nitrogen with the foreign particles results in the exquisite colors that stain our starry skies and produce what we call the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights. 

The colors that decorate the night skies are an assortment of greens, yellows, blues, reds and violets. The array of colors is due to the different gases that mix with the Sun's particles. When you witness greens and yellows, that is the result of Oxygen colliding with sun's particles; when you witness shades of red, violet and occasionally blue, that is the result of the sun's particles colliding with Nitrogen. Weak solar flares produce little light, not many varying colors, not a whole lot of definition and results in more of a "blanket" of light. Strong solar flares produce bright lights, many varying colors and more definition and shape. There is more movement and the colorful lights appear to "dance" across the night sky. Although these radiant lights occur all year round, they are only visible at night time because the power of the sun's light during the day in stronger than the auroras.

Now that you are on the edge of your seat dying to plan your next vacation to see these lights  in action (don't worry, I am right there with you), let me tell you when it is the best time of year to visit so you can be sure to get the optimal experience. Autumn and Winter are the best seasons to view the lights due to the fact that the moon is low in the sky, there is less light pollution, and these seasons provide cool, crisp, clear skies for maximum vision; the lights are brightest usually between 10pm and 1am. During maximum solar flare periods, the lights can be seen as far as central Europe. Sun spots decrease and increase on an 11 year cycle so there are especially dazzling years. Don't be discouraged though, the sun rotates on its own 27 day axis, so it is common to view auroras 27 days after a current display, as the sun spots will be facing Earth once again. If you want go one step further to better your chances of viewing the Northern Lights, keep up to date with the satellite observations, they make it possible to forecast when there will be stronger auroras due to the fact that it takes the solar winds 2 to 3 days to reach Earth's atmosphere. Happy travels!

Top 11 places where the Northern Lights are visible:
  1. Norway
          2. Scandinavia
  3. Sweden
  4. Finland
  5. Iceland 
6. Alaska
  7. Canada
       8. Greenland
    9. Scotland
  10. Russia
      11. Denmark







The Northern Lights viewed from space



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Sunday, November 9, 2014

Lake Baikal, Russia


There are so many interesting facts about Lake Baikal it is hard to pick a starting point. This amazing lake is located in a remote area of Siberia. The lake starts to receive snowfall around November, which varies from year to year, and is frozen-over with ice for about five months out of the year, from January to May. When the lake freezes, it creates remarkable marble-looking cracks that would be a photographers dream to capture. Since Lake Baikal is the purest fresh-water lake on the planet, when the ice freezes it becomes transparent (see pictures below). The water is so clear that it is not uncommon to be able to see up to 130 feet down. Not only is Lake Baikal the deepest lake in the world, it is also the largest volume of fresh water on earth; it is approximately 1/5 of the world's fresh water, or about 20 percent. Lake Baikal is the world's most ancient fresh water lake dating back anywhere from 25-35 million years old. The lake is fed from over 300 rivers and streams, some of which are seasonal. Even though there are numerous streams and rivers that feed into the lake, the largest one being the Selegna River, there is only one outlet, the Angara River. There are a plethora of islands within the lake (anywhere from 27-45 depending on your source) and the majority of them are uninhabited. More than half of the lake's species are unique to the lake, which is about 1,455 species. Lake Baikal endures around 2,000 earthquakes per year, therefor, the surrounding mountains are constantly moving up and down in response to the changing faults. With the number of intriguing details that I have discussed thus far, this is just the "tip of the iceberg" so to speak about all the amazing facts that can be learned about Lake Baikal. If I were to touch on each one, I could go on for days; which is why I have provided a link down below all of the exquisite photos for those of you who are interesting in reading the rest on the facts about Lake Baikal that I have not discussed. 

One last fun fact: "During the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-05, the lake's ice was so thick the Russians were able to lay a railway straight across it and transport supplies to the battle front throughout the winter."


*Scroll down to learn about the 37 interesting facts about Lake Baikal













37 Interesting Facts about Lake Baikal



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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Pamukkale, Turkey


Located in the town of Denizil, Turkey, Pamukkale is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Turkey. Pamukkale in Turkish means "Cotton Castle" and it is easy to understand why. These whimsical calcium cascade pools are thousands of years old, dating back to when the Romans used to bath in the pools because they believed them to bring health and have healing benefits. The pools are a type of travertine limestone created from hardened calcium.  The natural thermal water source from the Cal Mountain's oozes mineral deposits from within to create the exquisite glistening white stalactites waterfall terraces. The summers in Turkey are hot and dry and the winters are cold and snowy. While there is no perfect time of year to visit this alluring site, rain or shine the Pamukkale turquoise waters against the white limestone walls will be an unforgettable experience. 


You will be able to walk along the South side where there is a designated limestone travertine path leading to the cliffs. There are about seventeen larger pools that vary in temperature, although tourist are only allowed to go in the majority of the pools. In 1997, it became forbidden to swim in the pools due to the high number of tourists and visitors. This rule was implemented to protect the pools ravishing beauty and to prevent them from getting crushed after many of the pools started losing their water and emptying due to overuse. Although it is disappointing to not be able to swim in the magical looking pools, their beauty will be sustained and preserved through time for the many other eyes who wish to gaze upon magnificent turquoise terraces. 





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