Here are some interesting facts:

Folklore abounds with explanations of the origins of these spellbinding celestial lights. In Finnish they are called "revontulet", which means "fox fires" a name derived from an ancient fable of the arctic fox starting fires or spraying up snow with its brush-like tail. No matter that in English "foxfire" is a luminescent glow emitted by certain types of fungi growing on rotten wood.

 

The true story is that the sun is the father of the auroras. The sun gives off high-energy charged particles (also called ions) that travel out into space at speeds of 300 to 1200 kilometres per second. A cloud of such particles is called a plasma. The stream of plasma coming from the sun is known as the solar wind. As the solar wind interacts with the edge of the earth's magnetic field, some of the particles are trapped by it and they follow the lines of magnetic force down into the ionosphere, the section of the earth's atmosphere that extends from about 60 to 600 kilometres above the earth's surface. When the particles collide with the gases in the ionosphere they start to glow, producing the spectacle that we know as the auroras, northern and southern. The array of colours consists of red, green, blue and violet. The Northern Lights are constantly in motion because of the changing interaction between the solar wind and the earth's magnetic field. The solar wind commonly generates up to 1000,000 megawatts of electricity in an auroral display and this can cause interference with power lines, radio and television broadcasts and satellite communications. By studying the auroras, scientists can learn more about the solar wind, how it affects the earth's atmosphere and how the energy of the auroras might be exploited for useful purposes.

 

Aurora Borealis Viewing

The Aurora Borealis is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena one can experience and chances are excellent that you will see it if you come for a visit to the Yukon in the winter. If you are only in town for a short time, take advantage of our two beautiful Northern Lights Centers, only 20 minutes out of town.Located in open fields with no artificial lights around – they provide perfect viewing conditions! We offer tours every evening and while it is cold and crisp outside, the Centers will keep you warm and cozy.

 

An evening at the Yukon Aurora Center

We pick you up at your hotel or B&B in Whitehorse and bring you to one of the Centers. Pick up time is 9:00pm. While at the Center, we will serve hot drinks, a light snack and share some of the folklore surrounding the Aurora with you. By 1am in the morning, you will be back at your hotel, hopefully in awe and still captured by the beauty of the Northern Lights. Getting to see the Aurora is a bit like fishing – you have to have a little bit of luck, too, so the longer your winter stay in the Yukon, the better your chances to see the Northern Lights!

If you are looking for a longer visit, check out our extended SNOWMOBILING tours for longer winter trips with Up North! You can also look at our variety of 1/2 day and full day adventures including ICE FISHING or SNOWSHOEING!

 

Evening Tour: $125.00 per person (minimum 2 people)

 

NOTE: Please note that we require a 24 hour notice for booking and preparing a visit at the Northern Lights Center. In order to make a booking, please use the link Inquire@UpNorth in the menu to your left or contact us via fax or phone (see bottom page).

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