

My first Northern Lights
Published: 25/06/2020
Reading time: 2 minutes
As an ex-professional astronomer, I have always desperately wanted to see the Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights.
Of course, Greenland is the perfect place to see them and there are many tours available during the darker months that capitalize on the country’s front-row seat to what must be one of the most remarkable light shows on Earth.

My trips to Greenland, however, have always coincided with the brighter months where hiking and sailing under the midnight sun dominate, and the soft green glow of charged particles spiraling down the Earth’s magnetic field lines to interact with the atmosphere is overpowered.
Given that I would be in Sisimiut until the end of August this year, I knew that there was a very slight chance that I would get to see them…
… and I got very lucky 🙂
OK – so the conditions weren’t perfect:
- I was in town (the timelapse is actually taken from the 4th floor of the amazing Hotel Sisimiut
- there was a full moon (that’s the bright thing that appears at bottom left towards the end)
- the sun was rapidly coming up in the opposite direction (hence why the sky looks blue)
But I saw them!
The above timelapse is, unfortunately, very short because I only had about 40 minutes before the sky became too bright to continue.
However, as with the time-lapses I took of icebergs moving along the Sermilik Fjord in East Greenland earlier this year, my goal for 2019 is to capture a much better moving record of the remarkable nature of Greenland.
Read more travel blogs from Lisa Germany
-
New Tour!
Disko Island Kayak Exploration | Qeqertarsuaq | Disko Bay
Tour startsQeqertarsuaqDuration3 hoursFrom 1350 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)Pay by the hour
Pay By the Hour Private Charter Boat Tour | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration3 hoursFrom 7000 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)
SUP amongst Icebergs originated from UNESCO World Heritage Site | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration3 hoursFrom 995 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)1 To 6 Passengers Included
The Calving Glacier Eqi & Paakitsoq | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration8 hoursFrom 15000 DKKSee more -
New Tour!
Introduction to Stand-up Paddleboarding (SUP) | Nuuk | West Greenland
Tour startsNuukDuration2 hoursFrom 495 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)
Learn to ride a Snowmobile | Sisimiut
Tour startsSisimiutDuration2 hoursFrom 1300 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)
Photo tour | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration2 hoursFrom 1295 DKKSee more -
4.00(1)
City Walk | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration2 hoursFrom 1590 DKKSee more -
4.67(6)Back in spring 2024
Puffin Safari | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration3 hoursFrom 1195 DKKSee more -
1 to 6 passengers included
Iceberg Classic | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 hoursFrom 4000 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)1 TO 6 PASSENGERS INCLUDED
Private Qoornoq Island Adventure | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration4 hoursFrom 9000 DKKSee more -
1 to 6 PASSENGERS INCLUDED
Oqaatsut Settlement | Private Tour | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration3 hoursFrom 5850 DKKSee more -
5.00(8)
Sermermiut Settlement Walk | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 hoursFrom 350 DKKSee more -
4.50(2)
Snowshoe hike and restaurant H8 | Oqaatsut | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration6 hoursFrom 1895 DKKSee more -
4.67(3)
Guided kayak tour along the coastline | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration2 hoursFrom 595 DKKSee more -
Best of Ilulissat I 5 days I Disko bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration5 daysFrom 57600 DKKSee more -
Whale & Musk Ox Safari by boat | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration8 hoursFrom 4300 DKKSee more