寰宇遨遊

In ancient Rome, quot;auroraquot; was the name of the goddess of dawn. This makes witnessing the aurora borealis seem like an encounter with the goddess herself. The Northern Lights are actually an irregularly shaped oval centred over the magnetic pole. They are caused by collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere.

Like a god-sent gift, suddenly, the aurora lights up the darkness above you. The cold and chilly night also seems to wake up with this magical green beam, which appears as a sickle and soon transforms into rippling curtains, spreading towards the North Star.

Throughout the year, the phenomenon occurs near the magnetic poles. However, they are not noticeable with the naked eye during summer. The best time to watch them is between September and the following April. The long periods of darkness and the frequency of clear nights provide many good opportunities to watch the auroral displays.Researchers have discovered that auroral activity is cyclic, peaking roughly every 11 years. These years happen to be the peak time for solar activity, which means travelers now have a greater chance to see the aurora.

The best places to watch the lights are in the northwestern parts of Canada, the southern tip of Greenland and Iceland, the northern coast of Norway and over the coastal waters north of Siberia.

[Norway]

Midnight Concert

Tromso, gateway city of Norway, is ideal for viewing auroras. Located at a longitude of 69°, Tromso is also called quot;the gateway to the arcticquot;. Affected by the Gulfstream, Tromso has a relatively warm winter,and usually has fi ne weather. It is a perfect place to spend a winter's night, when the Northern Lights dance to the local songs played in the churches in Tromso.

Adventuring on a Sled

Kirkenes is further north than Tromso, and also shares a comparatively warm climate. Close to the Russian border, this small town is the terminal port of Norwegian steamboats. Here, you can not only see the aurora, but also engage in various kinds of outdoor activities such as catching king crabs,exploring the sceneries sitting on a reindeer-pulled sleigh or a dogsled. You can also have an authentic arctic meal in a tent with the Sami people.

Several companies run night dog-sledding and snowmobile trips that take you through the surrounding wilderness for sky-watching.

Cruising

It is a fi rst-class experience to appreciate the aurora on a cruise. When the cruise ship slides into the darkness, you feel connected to the universe more than ever. It is so quiet that the only sound you hear is the sound of the crashing waves and the mysterious noise made by the Northern Lights above.

The cruise quot;Hurtigrutenquot; dispatches every day from the west coast of Norway. Twenty two out of the 34 ports of call are inside the Arctic Circle, which guarantees you a terrifi c opportunity to have a full taste of the North Pole. When the aurora appears,the ship's crew invite passengers to go to the deck.You can set up a tripod in advance, then wait for the wonder to appear while enjoying a cup of freshmade Norwegian coffee, or you can sip a glass of champagne while you lay in a jacuzzi.

[挪威]

午夜音樂

挪威北部的門戶城市特羅姆瑟是欣賞北極光的最佳地之一。由于處在北緯69°，它又被稱為“北極之門”，但因?yàn)槭艿侥鞲缗鞯挠绊?，這里的冬天并不像人們想象中的那么冷，經(jīng)常會(huì)有晴朗的好天氣。當(dāng)北極光翩翩起舞，特羅姆瑟的教堂也奏起動(dòng)人的當(dāng)?shù)孛裰{，唱響午夜的音樂會(huì)，為北極光伴奏。

雪橇奇遇

更北一些的小鎮(zhèn)希爾克內(nèi)斯也有著較為溫暖的氣候。這座小鎮(zhèn)鄰近俄羅斯邊境，是挪威沿海汽船的終點(diǎn)港口。這里的冬季不僅能看到北極光，還可以進(jìn)行各種冬季戶外活動(dòng)，比如捕撈帝王蟹、馴鹿雪橇、乘坐狗拉雪橇或雪地摩托來追逐極光，或是在帳篷里與薩米人共享北極特色晚餐等，娛樂方式非常豐富。

海上巡游

乘坐游輪欣賞極光也是一流的享受。當(dāng)游輪緩行在漆黑中，你仿佛融入了天地，沉靜的海上只有浪花與極光嘶梭的聲音。巡游在挪威西海岸的海達(dá)路德游輪每天發(fā)船，全線停靠的34個(gè)港口中有22個(gè)位于北極圈內(nèi)，為你提供了絕妙的觀賞機(jī)會(huì)。當(dāng)海上極光出現(xiàn)，船方會(huì)進(jìn)行廣播，邀請(qǐng)你到甲板欣賞奇觀。你也可以提前在甲板支上三腳架，手捧一杯熱騰騰的挪威咖啡等待極光降臨；或是在船上的按摩浴缸中品著香檳，看極光布滿夜空。

[Canada]

Reflections on the Lake

Yellowknife, capital of northwest Canada, is the only district in the world in which the Northern Lights occur more than 250 times a year. It was evaluated by NASA as the best place to catch the lights in the world.

The best place to watch aurora in Yellowknife in November is at the Great Slave Lake. Before the lake is totally frozen, you get to see the rarest aurora show of the year, when the half frozen lake refl ects the dancing Northern Lights. Many photographers are willing to spend some time in Yellowknife just to catch this precious moment.

The Great Slave Lake is the second largest lake in Canada after the Great Bear Lake, and it is the source of MacKenzie River - the longest river in Canada.Travelers can also rent a boat here and fi sh in summer;even a fresh-hand can catch big and delicious fi sh such as pikes and the polar trout. It is an unforgettable experience to angle leisurely in the romantic sunset glow at 2 a.m. during the polar days.

[加拿大]

湖泊倒影

加拿大西北地區(qū)的首府耶洛奈夫是世界上唯一每年可以觀測極光次數(shù)超過250次的地區(qū)，它曾被NASA評(píng)為全球最適合欣賞北極光的地方。

在11月期間，來耶洛奈夫欣賞極光，最棒的地方是在大奴湖，趁湖水還未完全凍結(jié)，拍攝湖面上反射出舞動(dòng)著的極光，是一年當(dāng)中最難得的曼妙場面。不少攝影師都愿意在這里多守一段時(shí)間，只為抓住那動(dòng)人的一刻。

作為加拿大第二大湖的大奴湖，僅次于北面之大熊湖, 而她也是全加拿大最長河流馬更些河的源頭。這里因奇美的湖泊景色聞名于世，也是觀測極光的勝地。夏天的時(shí)候租船到這里泛舟，即使初學(xué)者也可以釣到個(gè)大且肥美的狗魚和極地鱒魚，滿載而歸。如果當(dāng)時(shí)正值西北地區(qū)的午夜陽光，凌晨兩點(diǎn)的時(shí)候沐浴著浪漫的晚霞垂釣，一定是此生絕無僅有的美好體驗(yàn)！

[Sweden]

Sound from Outer Space

Swedish Lapland, located in the northernmost part of Sweden, is a great location for viewing the phenomenon. During the winter solstice period,when the weather is right, aurora appears most frequently. The mountaintop of Abisko is also a great spot for appreciating the lights. As is assured by the locals, one is sure to be able to see the aurora at least once as long as he/she stays here for more than three days.

The Aurora Sky Station in Abisko is ranked as one of the top 10 best places on earth to experience the Northern Lights by Lonely Planet. Situated on Mount Nuolja, Aurora SkyStation is 900 meters above sea level, in an area with very few distracting sources of light or sound. Almost every night, travelers can see active auroral displays from here. You can easily get to the Sky Station by taking a cable. Some people who have seen the aurora say that they can hear its sound. While you are here, with the aid of an amplifi er, you can literally hear the sound coming from the universe.

Icehotel

The world's fi rst Icehotel, in Jukkasj?rvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle consists of 1,000 tons of ice and 30,000 m3 of snice, which is a mixture of snow and ice. Guests dress warmly and rest in sleeping bags, in a room with a temperature just above -5°. Every morning, the staff place a hot glass of cranberry juice near your bed, and you can also take a sauna to get a break from the cold.

From Treehotel's rooms you get a fantastic view of the Northern Lishts if lucky.Location: Harads,Sweden瑞典呂勒奧附近的樹上酒店由一系列樹上房間組成，在這里觀看極光也很特別。

[瑞典]

太空之音

瑞典最北端的拉普蘭也是觀賞極光的絕好位置。拉普蘭的冬至?xí)r分，在天氣條件適宜的情況下，北極光頻繁出現(xiàn)。而阿比斯庫山巔也是北極光觀賞者們心儀的地點(diǎn)，當(dāng)?shù)鼐用駧缀蹩梢员ＷC，只要在這里停留三天，就可至少能夠見到一次極光。

極光天空站位于極光地帶的中間，是世界上最適宜觀測北極光的地點(diǎn)之一。清新潔凈的空氣，永久無云的天空是阿比斯庫極光站的先決條件，幾乎每天晚上都可以或多或少看到活躍的北極光。乘坐纜車到達(dá)站點(diǎn)，深夜時(shí)分，便可欣賞到壯麗的北極光爆發(fā)、天空呈現(xiàn)魔幻脈動(dòng)。許多人都聽過北極光的聲響，通過放大器，便能夠真正聽到來自太空的聲音。

冰雪小屋

在瑞典北部的斯普蘭地區(qū)，有一家世界聞名的冰酒店?？腿耸褂帽捅P和冰酒杯，入住冰雪房間。然而，即便有時(shí)戶外溫度要低得多，但冰酒店房間內(nèi)的溫度也不會(huì)低于零下5度。客人們身著毛質(zhì)保暖內(nèi)衣，戴上厚實(shí)的帽子，鉆進(jìn)溫暖舒服的睡袋里，躺在鋪著馴鹿皮的冰床上，完全不用擔(dān)心寒冷。早上7點(diǎn)，酒店工作人員會(huì)將一杯熱乎乎的蔓越莓汁端到床前，冰酒店還為客人提供晨起桑拿驅(qū)寒。