Incredible Northern Lights Photo and Video

As northern lights season for Natural Habitat Adventures gets underway in Churchill, this seems like the perfect time to break out some of the best photos and videos of aurora borealis. Enjoy these images from Churchill!

The aurora borealis in the night sky seen from Natural Habitat's Tundra Lodge in Churchill, Manitoba.

Aurora in the night sky at the Tundra Lodge. Colby Brokvist photo.

Charged particles projected from the sun’s surface collide with gaseous particles in the earth’s atmosphere and develop into what we know as Aurora borealis. Color Variations result from the various types of gas particles colliding. Most commonly occurring  colors are a pale yellowish-green. These hues are  produced by oxygen molecules located nearly 60 miles above the earth. High-altitude oxygen, up to 200 miles above the earth’s surface, produce rare all-red auroras. Blue or purplish-red aurora are produced by Nitrogen particles colliding with particles from the sun.

Because the temperature above the sun’s surface is millions of degrees Celsius, explosive collisions between gas molecules constantly occur. As the sun rotates, free protons and electrons are ejected through the surrounding atmosphere. Solar winds feeding off the rotation blow towards Earth and these charged particles are deflected by the earth’s magnetic field. Since the earth’s atmosphere is weaker at the poles, particles enter and then collide with gas particles. Dancing lights are produced and have captivated our imaginations for centuries!

Travel north this winter and see the amazing northern lights in Churchill. 

Why Narwhals Are Awesome

Narwhals are one of the rarest and most unique whales on the planet Earth. They are also vastly mysterious and tend to capture the imaginations of many people, especially those fascinated with the Arctic. The distinct spiraled tusk or tooth that protrudes from the whales upper jaw lends to their enduring mythology. The tusk can grow up to 10 feet and some Narwhals will even sprout two tusks. These animals can weigh up to 4,200 pounds and grow to 17 feet in length. The photo below by Paul Nicklen for National Geographic and World Wildlife Fund provides a great look at the Narwhal’s tooth.

Narwhal in Arctic waters.

Narwhal with spiral tooth rising from the Arctic water. Paul Nicklen photo for National Geographic and World Wildlife Fund.

The Narwhal population is currently at more than 80,000 worldwide. The majority are found in  Atlantic and Russian Arctic sea waters. Smaller populations dwell in Greenland and Norwegian waters. In summer they migrate in pods of 10-100 whales closer to shorelines and in winter they swim farther out to sea and live under sea ice, surfacing in open leads of water. Their preference is to stay at the surface but Narwhals can dive up to 5,000 feet. They feed wherever they can find krill, fish or squid in the cold northern waters.

Narwhals communicate through various trills, clicks and squeals. Males will often cross tusks in  behavior known as “tusking“. Scientists are researching this behavior trying to distinguish whether it’s another form of communication,  sexual display or friendly contact.  Females become pregnant between March and May and have a gestation period of up to 16 months giving birth to a single calf. Calving every three years, females will nurse for a year or more.

The environmental conditions in which narwhals exist are truly awesome in that they require uncanny survival traits. Existing in the extreme cold and icy regions takes a unique genetic make-up. Narwhals are also being threatened by increasing oil and gas exploration in their native waters. All this exploration leads to more ocean shipping traffic as well. These factors cause noise pollution in the dark ocean waters where narwhals and other marine mammals rely on quietness to communicate with each other and locate food sources. This relatively new and growing threat could lead to dire consequences for many species. For more information check out this World Wildlife Fund site. This WWF initiative helps raise awareness of the noise pollution affects and address the threats to Narwhals and other whales and marine mammals.

Save the human beings

Underlying all the “liberal” efforts out there to save this animal, that insect, this rain forest, that river is one concept we are all being quite remiss about….ourselves. So much effort and money goes toward saving all that’s worth saving on this amazing planet we dwell on…yet aren’t we really striving in some primal way to save the human race? Without all these precious puzzle pieces that make Earth “the best planet in the solar system”,….there’s the human in me coming forth…I am only human after all…, would we not all just shrivel up and blow away out into space? I believe so…these facets of life give us our meaning and soul to carry on here…indeed.

Take a look at this article that spawned these thoughts and give some feedback in comments or on our Churchill polar bears Facebook page…..very interesting!

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