标签 极光 下的文章

极光展示，怀特霍斯，育空地区，加拿大 (© John Hyde/plainpicture/Design Pics)

守候浪漫的极光

北极光，怀特霍斯，加拿大育空地区

极光通常也称为极光，是地球天空中的自然光显示，主要出现在高纬度地区（北极和南极附近）。 极光显示出明亮光的动态模式，表现为覆盖整个天空的窗帘、光线、螺旋或动态闪烁。

在育空地区等北部地区，观赏极光的最佳时间是 8 月下旬至 4 月中旬。 在夏季的几个月里，即使在太阳风活动强烈的时候，夜空也不够黑，看不到北极光。 隆冬时节，气温可能降至零下 40 度，穿着合适的冬季服装欣赏展览非常重要。

北极光下的众神瀑布，冰岛 Goðafoss waterfall under the northern lights, Iceland (© Anton Petrus/Getty Images)

冰雪之地 Land of fire and ice

Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland

Goðafoss is one of the hundreds of show-stopping waterfalls Iceland is blessed with. And though it isn't the island's highest waterfall—that would be Morsarfoss at over 240 meters—or most powerful (the thundering Dettifoss), Goðafoss, has, within its swirling waters, its own story to tell.

An Icelandic legend holds that in 1000 CE, a well-respected pagan priest and chieftain named Thorgeir Thorkelsson was tasked with deciding if Iceland was to become a Christian nation or if it would continue to worship the ancient Nordic gods. The peace of the island was at stake, with fierce advocates on each side. Thorgeir decided in favor of Christianity, but with the caveat that those who chose to continue to recognize the old gods would not be punished so long as they converted. This tale, likely created in the nineteenth century, says that after Thorgeir converted to Christianity he returned to his home near Goðafoss and hurled his statues of the Norse gods into the falls, which is said to have angered the old gods so much that they split the waterfall in two. Which might be enough to make one rethink angering them in the first place.

Goðafoss瀑布，冰岛

Goðafoss是冰岛拥有的数百座停止表演的瀑布之一。尽管它不是岛上最高的瀑布，也不是海拔240米以上的穆萨福斯瀑布，也不是最强大的瀑布（雷鸣般的Dettifoss），但Goðafoss在其漩涡中有自己的故事要讲。

冰岛的一个传说认为，公元1000年，一位受人尊敬的异教徒牧师和酋长托尔盖尔·托克尔松（Thorgeir Thorkelsson）受命决定冰岛是要成为一个基督教国家，还是要继续崇拜古代北欧诸神。岛上的和平岌岌可危，双方都有强烈的支持者。索盖尔决定支持基督教，但有一条警告：那些选择继续承认旧神的人，只要他们皈依，就不会受到惩罚。这个故事可能是在19世纪创作的，故事中说，托尔盖尔皈依基督教后回到他在戈阿福斯附近的家中，将他的北欧诸神雕像扔进瀑布，据说这激怒了古神，以至于他们将瀑布一分为二。这可能足以让人重新思考一开始会激怒他们。

 搁浅船只上空的极光，格陵兰岛塔西拉克 Northern lights over a stranded boat in Tasiilaq, Greenland (© Shane P. White/Minden Pictures)

Tasiilaq, Greenland

It's said that Erik the Red gave Greenland its deceptively pleasant name to draw unwitting settlers to the snowy subcontinent. The Viking leader wasn't totally fibbing, though: Greenland can turn pretty darn green as aurora borealis gives the glaciers a glow-up.

This verdant display was captured in Tasiilaq, the largest settlement on the island's east coast. Though Tasiilaq is home to fewer than 2,000 people, it's one of Greenland's fastest-growing towns. Plus, regular plane hops from Reykjavik, Iceland—about 500 miles east—add the occasional cold-tolerant tourist to the population.

格陵兰塔西拉克

据说红色埃里克给格陵兰取了一个貌似很好的名字，以吸引不知情的定居者来到这个多雪的次大陆。尽管如此，维京人的领袖并不是完全在撒谎：当北极光使冰川发光时，格陵兰岛可以变成非常糟糕的绿色。

这张翠绿的照片是在塔西拉克拍摄的，塔西拉克是该岛东海岸最大的定居点。虽然塔西拉克的人口不到2000人，但它是格陵兰发展最快的城镇之一。此外，从冰岛雷克雅未克向东约500英里的地方定期乘坐飞机，也为当地居民增加了偶尔的耐寒游客。

布鲁克斯山脉上空的极光，美国阿拉斯加州 Aurora borealis above the Brooks Range in Alaska (© Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon/Getty Images)

Aurora borealis

You don't have to go all the way to Alaska to see the northern lights (they've been spotted as far south as Hawaii). But based on this stunner of a photo, we recommend it. And the farther north the better: auroras are more frequent and intense the closer you are to the North Pole.

This intense aurora borealis was captured over the Brooks Range, the stretch of mountains that forms the North Slope of Alaska. Journey hundreds of lonely miles northward via the Dalton Highway and you'll descend into a vast coastal plain before finally reaching the Beaufort Sea coast, where nothing but icy water lies between you and the North Pole.

北极光

你不必一路跑到阿拉斯加去看北极光（北极光在南至夏威夷都被发现）。但是基于这张照片的惊人之处，我们推荐它。越北越好：极光越频繁，强度越大，离北极越近。

这种强烈的北极光是在布鲁克斯山脉（Brooks Range）上空拍摄的，布鲁克斯山脉是形成阿拉斯加北坡的山脉。沿着道尔顿公路向北行驶数百英里，你将进入一片广阔的海岸平原，最后到达波弗特海岸，在那里你和北极之间只有冰冷的海水。