14 February 2012
Valentines day
Today very early the northern lights appeared as a dear Valentine: from about 17.00hrs, local time, until the next morning 6.00hrs.
See also the measurements:Spaceweather
27 January 2012
By surprise an iridium flare
During a lecture about the northern lights we showed our guests the working of the sky camera and by our surprise an iridium flare appeared at the picture: at 16.46 UTC
This flare is a reflection of sunlight on a solar panel of an iridium communication satellite.
24 January 2012
Again great auroras
Just after the first signals on the instruments like a magnetic shock wave we and our guests were outside for many hours to see the moving auroras again, covering the whole sky in the west, east and south.
23 January 2012
Fantastic auroras
Yesterday evening and last night we viewed the northern lights from 17.00hrs until late at night due to a CME after a M3.2 on
January.19
The northern lights were moving and dancing and we saw many times the northern light crown, see picture.
7 January 2012
Good start of the New Year 2012
Yesterday evening we and some guests could enjoy beautiful northern lights. Although the moon shine was so bright the auroras were very good visible and the lights were dynamic and sometimes colourful.
22 November 2011
Robs dream comes true.....
Last night Rob took the first northern light picture with the night sky camera. After a long time of experiments with the help of our friend Sandor Zeestraten and Nikon Service Point Nederland, Rob realised a night sky camera on the roof of our centre.
This system is computer- controlled and between two rain showers the camera took this picture.
Click on the link:sky camera Polarlightcenter and you get the last (northern light) picture.
25 October 2011
Red auroras
Last evening we enjoyed beautiful red auroras.
The expected shockwave arrived at 18.35 UTC
See also Spaceweather:CME shockwave
9 october 2011
Colours
People are always wondering if they shall see the same bright colours when they see the northern lights by themselves as most of the pictures show.
We always answer that the colours on pictures are much brighter than in reality.
Last night we enjoyed beautiful northern lights and some of my pictures show the same colours as I saw them myself.
But.... maybe everybody sees them in a different way.
This is a picture of the northern light crown.
27 September 2011
Exciting nights....
After the Solar explosions September 24th we were waiting for the lights to come although the explosions were not full Earth directed.
Yesterday the 26th the instruments showed the incoming explosion in our atmosphere: Link
It was the beginning of enormous magnetic storm.
Some guests who were traveling back south received a SMS-alert.
Here in Laukvik, however, the sky was covered with clouds and it was raining at night so we missed the show.
This morning we received some northern light pictures from the Netherlands, from Zeeland and Utrecht, where so far south the northern lights were to be seen!
See picture from Jan Koeman
17 September 2011
Clear days and nights
Some guests are so lucky to see the northern lights already some hours after they arrived.
Together with friends and guests enjoying the lights makes us so happy and although the northern lights were not so strong we could see the beauty.
5 September 2011
Chasing the Northern lights
September started with cloudy and foggy nights but there was a lot of Northern light activity.
Two guests all the way from Hong Kong were so anxious to see the lights when they saw the strong activity on our instruments.
They decided to jump in their car and were driving around in search of a open sky and......they succeeded. See the picture from Yan.
9 August 2011
Major Solar flare
Today Aug. 9, 2011 we measured the strongest solar flare in many years. The flare, class X7 from Sunspot group 1263 exploded with a lot of radiation.
Also radio radiation, which shows at the graph in green.
However the explosion was not Earth directed.
See also the page of Spaceweather
7 August 2011
Solar flare
Last week we sent a graphic from a solar flare to Spaceweather as a forecast for expected northern light:
graphic
Even at southern latitudes like Denmark, Holland etc. were northern lights to be seen at 5-6 of August.
See the photogallery of Spaceweather
Here in Lofoten the nights were not dark enough....We have to wait until the last week of August to get dark nights again.
Northern light observations
Sept 2010 - March 2011
Statistics
Last season from the beginning of September until the end of March the statistics show us in the gray lines the northern light activity on our instruments. The green lines show us the visual outside observations.
January was this year the most active month !
The difference between gray and green means a cloudy sky.
The Sun was still not very active but due to coronal holes, we and our guests enjoyed many nights with beautiful displays.
Although we enjoy during the summer the midnight Sun and the amazing bright nights we are looking forward to see the first stars again at the end of August and.......the Northern Lights.
1 March 2011
Around midnight
After a cloudy and rainy evening at midnight the clouds opened up
and the fragile northern lights were dancing and moving and apeared to
all her admirers around the polarlightcenter.
28 February 2011
See statistics from northern light observations in Febr.
12 nights with visible northern light in Laukvik.
18 February 2011
Disappointing....
The speed of the solarwind was lower than expected:
The shockwave arrived at 01.34 UT tonight and p.e.the solar wind speed was max. 540 km/sec. at 05.45 UT
The activity was too low for strong northern light activity.
With full moon and clouds we had to miss the expected lights.....
16 February 2011
Exciting...
On Febr.15th 01.56 UTC a first X-flare ( X2.3 ) of the new solar cycle nr.24 escaped from the Sun.
The plasma cloud is Earth directed with a traveling time between 42 and 50 hours. That means possible strong Northern lights late 16th or 17th Febr.
This geomagnetic storm will possibly cause auroras at lower lattitudes.
Miscalculation: traveling time will be between 42 and 72 hours. Solarwind speed between 1000 and 650 km/ sec.
4 February 2011
Explosion of light
Yes, this week we have been waiting for these auroras.
The solar wind, coming from a coronal hole, reached after 4 days the earth magnetic field.
The northern lights were amazing !
2 February 2011
Birthday present
Are these auroras a promiss for what is coming next days?
Anyhow, for one of our guests this was a beautiful birthday present.
31 January 2011
Northern lights between the clouds
On the last day of this month we were again surprised by the activity on our instruments. After a very cloudy day, the lights appeared between the clouds and our guests could enjoy it.
Northern lights in January 2011
See statistics
24 January 2011
Dramatic northern lights
Tonight for many hours we could enjoy dramatic northern lights
which changed our island in a fairy-like landscape.
Northern lights in December 2010
See statistics
12 December 2010
Expected auroras
This weekend we were expecting auroral activity but Saturday evening only a small bow appeared at the beginning of the evening.
Tonight at 21.00 UT. the ground current measurement began to show activity and outside we could enjoy the dancing northern lights.
Northern lights in November 2010
See statistics
27 November
Aurora surprise
Our magnetometers suddenly began to show big activity and.........
Spaceweather
23 November
Aurora watch
One of our guests was taking pictures of the moon and by his
surprise the northern lights appeared.
Spaceweather
14 November
In pyjamas in the snow....
Traveling 3000 km. to see the northern lights and on his last night
before flying back home, beautiful auroras prevented our guest to sleep early and had to jump out of his bed again to enjoy the final and spectacular show.
Northern lights in October 2010
Unfortunately this month the difference between visual aurora and the activity on the instruments was big due to cloudy nights.
Only 8 nights with visible northern lights.
2 October
First auroras of October 2010
Although the solar activity was low auroras are dancing across the skies of northern Norway.
Picture taken by Jan Koeman near the Polarlightcenter at the beach.
Spaceweather
30 September
Northern lights in September 2010
Northern light observations in Laukvik
9 September
Magnetic storm
8 September a magnetic storm began around 15.00 UT and at 20.58 UT
the show began again. Spaceweather
Also the northern light crown was to be seen several times.
8 September 2010
For three nights there has been northern light activity but two nights the sky was cloudy.Last night however at 23.58 we could send SMS-alerts to our visitors and until about 1.00 local time they could enjoy spectacular northern lights.With new moon the sky was pitch dark and
full of twinkling stars.
1 September 2010
A good start
Our first overnight stay guests of this season were so happy to see the northern lights for the first time in their life.
After some rainy and cloudy days the sky cleared up this evening and around midnight they could enjoy the lights.
28 August 2010
The first northern lights
The last three nights we could enjoy the first northern lights of the new season.
Our first northern light presentation for a group of 15 persons we had to
interrupt twice to enjoy the auroras!
Bør zeilreizen 
The day after, two Australian ladies who came all the way up in search for the northern lights were more than happy to see the auroras on the beach.
These nights the full moon was shining bright but could not prevent the northern lights to be visible.
4 August 2010
Magnetic Storm
From 19.40 UT. there is a strong magnetic storm this evening, even bigger than last night !!
Magnetic activity ( see graphic)
Today at 10.19 UT. there is again magnetic activity.
Hopefully this activity will continue and causes width scale auroral activity again tonight !!
3 August 2010
Coronal mass ejection
This evening a CME arrived in our atmosphere at 17.40 UT.
This causes a geomagnetic storm after 20.53 UT.
Northern lights will also be seen at lower latitudes.
15 July 2010
Rainbow caused by midnight sun
A beautiful rainbow around 00.15 local time caused by the midnight sun shining into a rain shower:
Spaceweather frontpage
12 July 2010
Solar eclipse from 11 July 2010
Yesterday there was a total Sun eclipse i.a. on Eastern Island.
This beautiful picture is from Joerg Schoppmeyer made in Argentina.
Have a look at:
30 June 2010
Here in the Polarlightcenter we are the whole year studying the Sun.
At this periode of the year there is no visible northern light but we
enjoy the Midnight Sun. This picture from last night is made around
01.00 local time.
Look at: Spaceweather 30 June 2010
15 June 2010
Solar activity is growing;
We know from our instruments and outside
observations, that the Suns activity is growing.
Solar cycle 24 is starting and more and more
sunspots are visible.
Now we can be sure, that more magnetic storms are
coming with even more beautiful auroral displays.
Northern light in Laukvik last season.
The information gathered from the statistics we started accumulating in
november 2009, showed us that there is a seasonal effect in
magnetic and auroral activity.
Grey means northern light according to the
magnetic sensitive instruments.
Green is visible northern light outside our center.
The difference means, a cloudy sky.