Make the most of the amazing aurora borealis – your next chance might be a decade away

Description

For millienia, northern peoples have watched ethereal filaments of light dance silently across the night sky. But when they shone over Aberdeen last week, I was, to my disappointment, asleep.

But as I lament the spectacle that I have missed (but fortunately have seen before) I hum the tune of a local folk song, “The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen”, hoping that, by virtue of my privileged Northern geography, I will see the aurora borealis again soon.

Some, such as the Norwegians and the Finns, traditionally viewed these spectral displays pragmatically: to them the Northern Lights portended “changes in the wind” or were otherwise useful for long-term forecasting. These days they still inspire quiet exhilaration.