Northern Lights-seen them live?

[ny biker]

This was posted on twitter today by Terry Virts, an astronaut on the International Space Station. The Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Florida, looking north with the northern lights in the background.

https://twitter.com/AstroTerry/statu...375104/photo/1

The ISS is probably the best place to see the northern lights.

[salsabike]

This was posted on twitter today by Terry Virts, an astronaut on the International Space Station. The Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Florida, looking north with the northern lights in the background.

https://twitter.com/AstroTerry/statu...375104/photo/1

The ISS is probably the best place to see the northern lights.

I think ISS has many fantastic photos of the Northern Lights. I am a sci fi geek and NASA lover. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos...st_ISS_Imagery

[NoNo]

I was fortunate enough to see the lights when I was up in Hudson Bay back in 2005. Since then, I've been to northern Canada many times, including the Arctic, and never saw it again. I'm so grateful I got to see it that one time, though. I'm not a religious person, but standing out there at 40 below watching that show was about as close to a connection to something greater as I've ever felt. It was just awe-inspiring.

[shootingstar]

Interesting....you must have had a personal or work-related connection to northern Canada at the time for that many visits.

[NoNo]

Actually I'm in a MINI Cooper club, and we have an annual northern road trip. We pick someplace and try to drive as far north as we can, hitting the end of the road. There's something exciting about knowing you literally can't go any further. I've seen some amazing scenery, the people have always been very kind to us, and it's important to me to see such a fragile environment.

[salsabike]

Actually I'm in a MINI Cooper club, and we have an annual northern road trip. We pick someplace and try to drive as far north as we can, hitting the end of the road. There's something exciting about knowing you literally can't go any further. I've seen some amazing scenery, the people have always been very kind to us, and it's important to me to see such a fragile environment.

NoNo, that sounds so cool!

[NoNo]

This was me stuck at the Arctic Circle, waiting out a storm. It was about -30 there.


This was the ice road, of Ice Road Truckers fame, right up at Tuktoyaktuk, NWT.


This was the first trip north, the one that grabbed me and instilled my love of the great white north. I'd rather go here than a tropical island any day!

[shootingstar]

How difficult was to photo shoot northern lights, NoNo?

I live 1,000 km. south of probably the areas where you went in Arctic. Where I live now, it does plunge down to -30 to -40 degrees C several days per winter. Amazingly a few hardy local cyclists do commute to work on bike. I don't mind it if temperatures dip in winter down to -25 degrees C. After that, it's hard to enjoy stuff outdoors for long.

These are working sled dogs tethered on edge of town, Iqualuit on Baffin Island that I saw when I was there. Real working husky dogs must be outside. Traditionally they are not domesticated to be indoors. I say more earlier in this thread with other linked photos.



The territory of Nunavut, inside their legislative assembly building, there are sealskin covered benches, art wall hangings.. Canada's most unique legislative assembly building in design. Humble but striking. Did you go to Iqualuit.



Bilingual signage at post office. There one does see also trilingual signs.

[NoNo]

Nunavut is on my bucket list. I really want to kayak with narwhals! Very jealous that you've been there. I did notice that the temps didn't keep the locals locked inside. Many times in the frigid cold we saw people walking or sledding around. And the dogs! Even at the Circle the was a dog happily curled up outside in the blowing snow. You could tell he was in his environment.

The lights were tricky to capture. They constantly shifted around the sky so you didn't know where to aim. And sometimes they'd disappear as quickly as they came. I also didn't see the strongest display, but it was still amazing.

[shootingstar]

Don't know how likely one can see narwhals in their habitat. It would be like trying to see orca whales or wild dolphins ...not every one near/on the Pacific coast sees them in the ocean if one tries to plan the site location and time of year. Long time locals know /see them living on the coastal communities in certain areas of British Columbia.

http://www.narwhal.org/tk.html

Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans database on some research info. re narwhals: http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/waves-vagues/ There might be more but sadly our national Prime Minister of Canada was gutting this federal govn't dept.'s budget in past few years.

Let us know if you ever see one live!
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I've seen a school of 10 wild dolphins up close about 15 years ago near Vancouver Island, Campbell River on the coast in a zodiac boat wildlife viewing trip, plus some bears, bald eagles and sea lions.
On a different trip,I saw a humpback whale turn over when on a B.C. Ferry ride in the Inside Passage. The whole ferry boat listed slightly when everyone ran to one side of the boat.

I actually saw more whales in Hawaii off the coast of Maui.

Wildlife sightings are chance... we took a trip to Elk Island National Park outside of Edmonton in mid-northern Alberta a few wks. ago. The largest herd of bison (900) in North America live there. This park has given bison to other national parks in the US to revive their herds. I've seen herds in other Canadian national parks.

We didn't see any... . I guess wrong time of day or they were hunkered down over a hill somewhere. It's not totally free ranging park for humans...

[OakLeaf]

It was cloudy here two nights ago when people were seeing the aurora at far southern latitudes, but here's a forecast page to see when it might be visible.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-3-day-forecast

Those of you in the far northern US may have a good chance tonight. I'm probably too far south this time.

[OakLeaf]

Now they're saying it could be visible as far south as Baltimore tonight. It's clouding up here, grrrrrrr. Think clear sky thoughts.....

[shootingstar]

Up here in Canada, this is what is said about this solar storm causing aurora bourealis (if clear skies):

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/new...operate/53167/