December 2018

Bilde

Please check my Aurora Blog from September 2012 - November 2018 >>

December 31st

Guests / Country: 14 from Australia, Germany and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
Destination / weather: GuideGunnar`s Camp Aurora / Dåfjord / part clear / cloudy / haze / part clear.
Aurora activity: 5/10.
Aurora show: First a bright strike trough a thin haze layer, then several bands across, curtains, curls, little moving
Tour km: 140.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

December 30th

Guests / Country: 14 from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Hungary.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Inside Finland +35 km / part clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: Several bands across, curtains, curls, spikes and little dancing. 2 colors on camera.
Tour km: 380.
Tour hrs: 9.

December 29th

Guests / Country: 12 from Germany, Singapore, Brasil and Hungary.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Insiode Finland +45 km / clear, with only a few clouds.
Aurora activity: 5/10.
Aurora show: All over, but faint, curtains, spikes, curls and a few seconds 3 colors moving.
Tour km: 385.
Tour hrs: 8,5.
Wildlife: 1 fox and 14 reindeers.
Accidents: 3 rental cars out of the roads and one foreign bus got stuck in the snow.

December 26th

Guests / Country: 14 from Italy, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, USA, UK, China and Hong Kong.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / cloudy (moon and some stars visible through a haze layer).
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: No activity!
Tour km: 240.
Tour hrs: 7.

I think this Christmas have been the poorest I have experience re: Aurora activity... It feels like St. Claus didn`t gave any gifts to Lady Aurora, and then she decided to not give away any great Aurora show for my guests...

December 25th - Aurora Chase Dinner
Bilde

Guests / Country: 9 from Norway, Australia, USA and China.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / part clear.
Aurora activity: 3/10.
Aurora show: Couple of bands on the north sky, curls, spikes
Tour km: 265.
Tour hrs: 8.

December 24th - Aurora Chase Dinner

Guests / Country: 9 from Norway, Italy, Germany and Hong Kong.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / by the Finnish border / cloudy.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: To cloudy...
Tour km: 310.
Tour hrs: 8.

It was party clear sky in the area before and after we left, but only the moon visible when we was there. On the return, we found the first clear sky with stars, but then lady Aurora had run away with St. Claus & Rudolph... It was a lovely night with great guests around the camp fire for the Aurora Chase Dinner, on the plateau by the Finnish border...

December 23rd

Guests / Country: 14 from Norway, Italy, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / by the Finnish border / Inside Finland +30 km / part clear / cloudy.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: No activity!
Tour km: 375.
Tour hrs: 8.
Wildlife: 1 fox, 4 reindeers and 1 moose.

First night since September we didn`t saw the Northern lights!
We found clear sky 3 times, but the clouds came after us each time... minus 20 degrees at the last stop, on the river ice between Sweden and Finland.

December 22nd

Guests / Country: 14 from Macao, Singapore, USA and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: By the Finnish border / clear.
Aurora activity: 2/10.
Aurora show: A couple of bands low on the north sky, a curl.
Tour km: 305.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

December 21st

Guests / Country: 13 from Australia.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / part clear / cloudy.
Aurora activity: 1/10.
Aurora show: A couple of faint bands on the north sky.
Tour km: 245.
Tour hrs: 6. Wildlife: 2 foxes.

Left the city to late (at 9 pm) cause a late incoming flight, so we missed out the early and only Aurora show, so we got only the rest of it, before it got overcast...

December 18th

Guests / Country: 12 from Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, USA and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Kattfjordeidet / Grøtfjord / Rekvikeidet / clear.
Aurora activity: 3/10.
Aurora show: A bright band on the NW sky for a short time, and a couple of faint bands across the sky.
Tour km: 135.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

Tonight lady Aurora was really teasing us, and the best Aurora show was probaly at 4.30 pm... 2,5 hours before we left the city.
Two times during the evening, at 9 pm and 2 am, a good and a okey show was showing on our special and normally very trustful Aurora forecast, but it was quiet... it`s pity, since it was such a beautiful evening out on the coast with my guests...

December 17th

Guests / Country: 14 from Germany, Hong Kong, Macao, Ireland and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Kvalsundet / Skarsfjord / clear.
Aurora activity: 8/10.
Aurora show: All over, far south, 3 colors dancing (visible for your naked eyes), a small corona, curtains, spikes and curls.
Tour km: 100.
Tour hrs: 7.

The lady started already at 3 pm this afternoon, and we got the first great show already at 7.45 pm when we stopped at the fjord between the islands of Kvaløya and Ringvassøya. We moved then to a lovely location further north and then we just had to wait... there was several small showing of the lady, but then she begin to move to the south sky, and 90% of the times that happen we get a great show, so I hope it should give us a lovely grande finale show for the night, but she only twisted her little, and then she lay down on the south sky again...

On the way back to the city the wave no. 2 begin (9/10 ?), and when I dropped off the last guests in the city at 2 am, then the 3rd wave begins (11/10 points, re: my colleague Marcus @Explore the Arctic), who was on the way "home" to the coast)... My guests missed it, since we never stopped on the return, since I guess they was more than happy and cold enough, and was just dreaming about a warm shower and theirs bed...

December 16th

Guests / Country: 7 from Singapore, South Africa, Australia, Czech Republic and Belarus.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Kattfjordeidet / Sommarøy / clear.
Aurora activity: 4/10.
Aurora show: Couple of bands across, curtains, spikes and curls.
Tour km: 110.
Tour hrs: 6.
Wildlife: 2 moose.

December 14th

Guests / Country: 11 from Singapore, Guatemala, South Africa and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Rostadalen valley / Dividalen valley / clear / part clear / clear.
Aurora activity: 2/10.
Aurora show: Couple of bands on the NW sky, a small curtains.
Tour km: 285.
Tour hrs: 8,5.
Geminid Meteor show: 50+ small and huge fireballs all over the sky. Wildlife: 2 lovely cute hare / rabbits.

Headed inland tonight, to a area I haven`t been since 1987, when I was a soldier in the special forces during the cold war...
It was a quiet night, re: Aurora activity, but with all the sky filled up of small and huge fireballs from the Geminids, it just make the night as a great one

December 11th

Guests / Country: 9 from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / clear / part clear.
Aurora activity: 4/10.
Aurora show: Couple of bands across the sky, spikes, little intense green.
Tour km: 245.
Tour hrs: 7,5.
Geminid Meteor show: Several nice fireballs...

Tonight`s best show was probably early in the evening, while we was driving out of the city in the clouds, but we got a part of it between the clouds across the fjord and over the Lyngen Alps... and 30 mins after we left the clear sky position, the activtiy was growing up again, but I guess my guests liked to return to the city, after a long cold night waiting... we got some green on the pictures, when we was standing at a new lovely location with amazing mountains settings. Including a great clear sky with billions of stars and some lovely shooting stars and fireballs... the first one of Geminid Meteor show, which has the peak in a couple of nights...

December 10th

Guests / Country: 11 from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Germany and Norway.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Skarsfjordfjellet mountain / clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: Several bands across the sky, curtains, spikes, a short intense 2 colors dancing of white and pink colors (visible for your naked eyes).
Tour km: 75.
Tour hrs: 6.

December 9th
Bilde

Guests / Country: 14 from Singapore, Germany, USA, Japan, Thailand, Italy and Australia.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Tamokdalen valley.
Aurora activity: 10+/10.
Aurora show: All over, far far south (Northern lights in Europe..?), curtains, spikes, curls, intensive dancing curtains, 3 colors visible for the naked eyes, severeal great coronas.
Tour km: 175.
Tour hrs: 7.

What a week!! ... and it`s very lovely when the weather forecast is totally wrong..;) I warned my guests for a tricky night, but after 45 km drive from the city, the sky begin to be clear, so cause it was very busy along the road the next miles I decided to drive further, for find a place in a beautiful valley, where I made me a new place in the snow. And what a crazy beautiful night..;)

December 8th - Aurora Chase Dinner
Bilde

Guests / Country: 8 from Singapore, Germany, USA and Australia.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: GuideGunnar`s Camp Aurora / clear.
Aurora activity: 7/10.
Aurora show: It started already 3 pm this afternoon; curtains, spikes, 2 colors dancing (visible for your naked eyes).
Tour km: 85.
Tour hrs: 6.

I decided to drive to my home and basecamp 40 km north of the city for the nights chase and dinner, so we also had the south sky clear and free, just in case we got the great show, which never came, but it was an okey night with some lovely portions of lady Aurora`s dance. And my guests was more than happy..;)

December 7th

Guests / Country: 14 from Singapore, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Australia and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
Destination / weather: Ramfjordmoen / Breivikeidet valley / Laksvatn fjord / clear.
Aurora activity: 10/10.
Aurora show: All over, far south, curtains, spikes, 3 colors dancing (visible for your naked eyes), intense pink dancing, several portions with coronas.
Tour km: 155.
Tour hrs: 5,5.

December 2nd

Guests / Country: 11 from Ireland, Brasil, Thailand, Italy and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Blåmannsvika / Grøtfjord / clear.
Aurora activity: 9/10.
Aurora show: All over, far south, curtains, spikes, 3 colors dancing (visible for your naked eyes), and a lovely corona.
Tour km: 95.
Tour hrs: 6.

December 1st

Guests / Country: 8 from Germany, India, USA and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Sagelvvatnet / Malangen / part clear / clear / haze.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: All over, far south, curtains, spikes, little bright dancing low north, and a faint corona.
Tour km: 210.
Tour hrs: 6,5.