You keep thinking you must book a winter trip to that Norwegian island above the Arctic Circle to see the majestic displays of the aurora borealis that paint luminous ribbons of color across the night skies. After all, it’s the most stunning aerial show on earth!
Well, until such time as you’re ready to plunk down a wad of cash, pack your polar parka and go, you can get your northern lights fix digitally from your laptop or smartphone, via AuroraLive.
The site features an array of 11 webcam and 10 livestream feeds of the skies in all the most-active aurora areas of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, New Zealand and United States.
The site features both aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights) facts, forecasts and alerts, clickable maps, and other astro-geek playthings. AuroraLive was created by Norwegian photographer Anders Hanssen, and German software developer Guido Sobbe, friends and aurora enthusiasts.
The livestream cam views are free to view, but for 99 cents a month, you can sign up to get email alerts of late-breaking northern lights activity.
August to April is the prime season for viewing the northern lights. But you can have fun anytime just scanning the night skies from these cams.
Photo: Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, Iceland; Iurie Belegurschi