Things are looking up

January 27, 2012

If you missed this week's appearance of the Northern Lights that resulted from activity on the sun, blame the clouds we had. Sadly, it was to be one of the best opportunities for New Englanders to see the celestial phenomenon from our homes. But there are lots of other chances – if you're willing to travel, particularly to chilly climes.

And there are indications that viewing the lights this year will be less of a gamble than others, with National Geographic Traveler listing it as one of the 12 sights to see in 2012.

The Alaskan Yukon, with rugged names like Yellowknife, advertise their locations for those interested in stargazing. That may be the most "local" opportunity we have considering the alternatives.

You may have heard that the usually-easy going folks in Norway and Finland have squabbled over who “owns” the Northern Lights. Both countries are excellent places to view the lights, as is Greenland, where you may also hike in the footsteps of Eric the Red – but you may not be able to conquer the native tongue, including pronouncing the name of the town Qaqortoq.

Be forewarned: once you get started on stargazing, you may find yourself tripping all over the globe in search of “bucket list” star sightings. This article says South Africa is home to many observatories, while Chile's 300 days of clear skies per year make it a hotspot as well (including for UFO sightings).  This article says you can expect to drop some serious dough on such tours, which may also take you to Northern China or the Antarctic.

Perhaps all of this attention on the skies means Newt Gingrich's moon colonization idea isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. He may find plenty of volunteers to fill the space shuttles.