April 2022
April 2nd
- Guests / Country: 11 guests from Egypt, Switzerland, China and USA.
- Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
- Destination / weather: Dåfjordeidet / clear / part clear.
- Aurora activity: 9/10.
- Aurora show: All over, far south, spikes, curls, 3 colors eye visible curtains in three colors and several coronas.
- Tour km: 170.
- Tour hrs: 8,5.
It was a practice of patience for my guests tonight ... the special with chasing in April, it`s less hours of darkness, so we got to see the first stars at 9.30 pm ... so, then my guests first got a combo tour, with some hours fjords sightseeing and lovely sunset ...
And, then when we arrived the final spot at 8.30 pm the lady was quiet ... but, tonight my guests was lovely ... and most of them was already happy when we got the first faint string of the Northern Lights crossing the sky at 10.15 pm, and little more one hour later ...
After midnight we got the first great show with some lovely coronas, but I had to work little more with my guests, since I saw from our special Aurora forecast, something more crazy should arrive around 1.30 am ... so, we just had to wait little more, since I am never leaving when I knew something more good will arrive ...
Bu, just 15 mins before it should happen, then clouds covered our beautiful clear sky ... so, I ask my guests to find theirs best prays and then, suddenly just before it happen, then we got clear sky towards east and north ... but, we missed what happens on the south sky ... it`s pity ... but, most important; My guests was happy ;)
April 3rd
- Guests / Country: 6 guests from Italy, France, China and Egypt.
- Weather Tromsø: Clear.
- Destination / weather: Grøtfjord / Rekvikeidet / clear.
- Aurora activity: 9/10.
- Aurora show: All over, far south, curls, spikes, 3 colors eye visible curtains and several nice coronas.
- Tour km: 215.
- Tour hrs: 8.
Equinox Aurora - from dusk till dawn ...
The vernal equinox is around March 20, but I now call the last month (and the first ... September) Equinox Aurora - which is the time during the Northern Lights season where the Northern Lights show themselves with their strongest and most colorful color games ...
Not everything you see with the naked eye, but the camera with the right settings captures it ... but like tonight, at the first show in blue sky and sunset light in the west, we could see 3 colors with the naked eye when she danced the most fiercely;)
Many people think it's too eager to see the Northern Lights in April ... maybe something about it when 90% of Tromsøbyen's Northern Lights guides end their tours at the end of March ... but, as the city's and Northern Norway's longest Northern Lights guide, I now always have started first and finished last ... so, why end a good habit when it is as beautiful as nights like this here;)
Like last Sunday, when I went out with my guests at the usual time at 6.30 pm, it was approx. 3.5 hours until it started to get dark, so I went out on one of my old sightseeing trips; Around Kvaløya, including the rock carvings on Hella and the sunset experience on Sommarøy ... but, Grøtfjord and Rekvikeidet 40-50 km west of the city were the goal ...
And it was really good timing, because I had just parked and got my guests down on the snow-covered pebble beach, when the lady left with a strip to the southern sky, and it was actually a little too early to see anything special, but when she exploded as powerful as she did, we had an experience my guests will soon forget ...
Really cool!
April 7th
- Guests / Country: 9 guests from Brasil, USA and UK.
- Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
- Destination / weather: The Magic island Senja / clear.
- Aurora activity: 5/10.
- Aurora show: All over, far south ... but faint. Curls, spikes, curtains and a small corona. Two colors on camera.
- Tour km: 455.
- Tour hrs: 9.
It`s late in the Aurora season now ... and not so many hours of darkness ... but still, if there`s good activity you can get a nice one ;)
Tonight it was partly clear sky around Tromsø, so I could make it short and stay there, but then we had to wait for the darkness in 3-4 hours ...
So, since the weather forecast was better further south I decided to drive that way ... where we found 100% clear sky after 100 km south of the city ... but, I continued ...
I decided my to give my guests an bonus for the long drive, so I warned them for a long drive and late return, and headed towards The Magic island of Senja ... with success ;)
Back in the city at 03.40 and after a 455 km drive ...
That`s me; One of the most extreme Aurora Chaser`s in the city, the longest running Aurora Guide in Tromsø and Northern Norway - runs all season from the beginning to the end, and drive further and stay out longer, with only one mission; to give my guests what they came for!
April 8th
- Guests / Country: 7 guests from China and Malaysia.
- Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
- Destination / weather: Skogsfjordelva river / Finnvika / cloudy / haze / part clear.
- Aurora activity: 0/10.
- Aurora show: No activity!
- Tour km: 170.
- Tour hrs: 5.
One of those nights ... on the return the clouds breaks up and there was a 5 sec aurora spike, but ...
It`s pity, since 30 mins after I drop out my guests in the city, the clouds break up more and I got a little show ... on my way back home ...
April 10th
- Guests / Country: Just me and a colleague.
- Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
- Destination / weather: Efjorden / Stetind / clear.
- Aurora activity: 8/10.
- Aurora show: Several bands across, curtains, spike and curtains. Intense three colors dancing with a couple of coronas.
- Tour km: 825 (!).
- Tour hrs: 17,5 (!).
- Space show: A huge green and white fireball.
- Wildlife: An wiesel, a fox and two moose.
As a good tradition, my friend and colleague Marcus since 2004 when we started Tromsø`s first travel business cooperation with two another companies, begin this lovely tradition in 2018; A private chase out for shooting Aurora pics on places we not showing our guests, since is normally too far away for an normal night Aurora Chase.
So, this night we was first planned a snowshoe nightwalk trip on the Magic island Senja, but the weather forecast changed to it worst, so we found clear sky far south, closer to the Lofoten islands, so here we went ... with success ;)
The first stop was the mountain ridge of Efjord, but then we needed a good Aurora show on the south sky ... and we got it! And then we drove to Norway`s National mountain, Stetind ... but, then the great show was over and the north east sky began to be daylight blue again ... so, we went home ... I was back home at 9.30 am (!).
April 12th
- Guests / Country: 11 guests from China, Germany, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala.
- Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
- Destination / weather: Finnish border / clear / fog.
- Aurora activity: 8/10.
- Aurora show: Several bands across, also far south. Curtains, spikes and curls. A couple of small coronas and 3 colors dancing curtains, visible for the naked eyes.
- Tour km: 315.
- Tour hrs: 7,5.
- Space show: A small, but long strike of a fireball.
What a lovely gang of international guests which really make my night to be a pleasure as a guide; So, thank you sooo much for yyour lovely company and your excitment over Lady Aurora performance ;)
We stopped first at the Norwegian side of the border where the sky was 100% clear, but suddenly the sky quickly got covered by fog, so we escaped into the Finnish side ... and after just two mins drive we got rid of the fog ... but, it came back again ...
Lucky for us, the Northern ligths appear where the sky was clear most of the night.
That`s season end!
I was planned to end this season at the 9th, but if someone like to try later you`re welcome to join, since there`s still a chance to see Aurora in the last hours of twilight darkness to the real end at mid-April ...
Welcome back in September !
The bookings is open for Private Aurora Chase Dinner from Sept 1st, and the regular chases from Sept 5th.
September Aurora on blue sky together with the glow of the sun ...
