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Winter Auroras
"Aurora had but newly chased the night, And purpled o'er the sky with blushing light."
~John Dryden (1631-1700), Palamon and Arcite
Inspired by the Aurora Borealis in the night sky, frequently seen in Norway, this tartan takes its colours from the Norwegian flag (red, blue and white) and the yellow, white and black hues for the varying colours of the Aurora Borealis in the night sky.
The auroras, known as nordlys in Norway, are a treasured natural phenomenon, drawing countless visitors to witness their ethereal beauty. This dazzling display is created when fast-moving electrons from Earth’s magnetosphere collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere, producing a kaleidoscope of colors: greenish-yellow or red from oxygen, blue from nitrogen, and magical shades of purple, pink, and white from color mixing.
The auroras have inspired myths across many cultures. In Norse mythology, the lights were thought to reflect the shields of the Valkyries, creating the legendary “Bifrost Bridge,” a glowing pathway that guided fallen warriors to Valhalla. For the Sámi people, indigenous to the region, the auroras were seen as a sacred phenomenon, to be admired in silence and respect. Remarkably, auroras have even been known to produce sounds—faint crackles, hisses, or even whistles—adding to their otherworldly allure. 🇳🇴 ❤️ 💙 🖤 💛 🤍
This month marks the beginning of the many festivals in Scandinavia to celebrate the Northern Lights.
The aurora, sometimes referred to as the polar lights, is predominantly seen in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions.
Auroras are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind, which carries charged particles mainly in the form of electrons and protons, and precipitates them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere), where their energy is lost.
The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying colour and complexity. Aurora colors can be red, green, blue, ultraviolet and infrared (measurable), yellow and pink.
Auroras are thought by some to emit a crackling noise, though scientists disagree as to whether this is a real phenomenon given that where the lights occur is too thin to carry sound waves. Early explorers found that covering eyes made the sound disappear, so the researches now suggests that the perception of sound could be caused by "signal leakage" from overstimulated visual centers in the brain or by energetic phenomena associated with the aurora.
This tartan was inspired by the Aurora Borealis in the night sky, frequently seen in Norway. The colours used are: red, blue and white from the Norwegian flag; yellow, white and black are for the Aurora Borealis in the night sky (polar light).
The beautiful picture of the Aurora was taken at Hammerfest, Finnmark, Norway, by Per-Andre Hoffman. For more Aurora photography, visit his site by clicking the picture.