Northern Lights: What’s like to see them?

One of the many advantages of studying in Finland is the chance of witnessing the Northerin Lights, or Aurora Borealis. The name comes from the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas, coined by Galileo Galilei. Its presence has shaped cultures around the world, from the Inuits to the Vikings.

A few weeks ago, there was a heavy geo magnetic storm, which meant Northern Lights were strongly visible through Norway, Sweden and Finland. Here, some of the students that are going through their second semester in Finland share their pictures of the majestic event.

But what was it really like? “Witnessing the dancing Aurora was an amazing experience!” says Ngawang Sherpa (Nepal).

“I felt lucky to be able to see it twice during my time in Joensuu, on top of it, very conveniently, just 50m away from my flat! And the one we saw this time was definitely stronger than the last one, I could see the aurora dancing gracefully in the sky very clearly. Everything was calm and we just stood in silence in awe with the magical phenomenon over us.” -Sylvannisa Putri (Indonesia)

“I was around 12 years old when I first knew about the Northern Lights through Wisdom Digest, a kind of magazine booklets we used to have those days. There was no internet, no TV and my exposure to outside world was limited. I was a curious child and everything in the booklet that amazed me used to become my dream (“When I grow up, I want to see this” kind of dream). Aurora has been one such dream since childhood. I tried seeing Aurora many times after coming to Joensuu; however, luck was not on my side many times. Just as I was losing hope, in the night of February 26th, my new flat mate bangs my door and shouts, “Northern Lights”. Out of deep sleep, I jumped out of bed, put on warm clothes within 30 seconds, grabbed my camera and rushed outside! The viewing field is located 10 minutes away from my apartment. As we rushed towards the field, Aurora was already over our heads. Reaching the field, I immediately lied flat on the snow, eyes to the sky! It was a magical moment, beyond description. There were waves of colors for a long time. After over fifteen minutes of this immersive experience, I took out the camera and clicked few photos when I realized that the intensity of Aurora was decreasing. I tried to show it live to my family back in Bhutan through video call, but the phone camera could not do justice to the amazing show. It has been a blissful experience for me, a prayerful moment,  a dream-come-true!” -Abir Sinchuri (Bhutan)

“Cold and darkness are rewarded with such a magical phenomenon the “Aurora borealis”, watching them is a new beginning and another opportunity to appreciate nature’s wonders. Their dancing produces an undescriptive feeling as if everything has been worth it…” -Angie Bernal  (Colombia)

“It was a magical experience seeing the aurora. It was actually a sweet bye given to my friend who will be leaving Finland 🙂 Finland expeirence will not be completed without the amazing northern lights!” -Jekk Paderes (Philippines)

We all hope the future students from the EMJMD European Forestry are also able to witness this magical event at least once in their studies in Finland!