Aurora Borealis

[RedbirdFL]

I'm going to be on the Triumph the week of October 3. We'll be in St. John October 6 and Halifax October 8.

 

Any chance we'll see the aurora borealis (aka northern lights)?

[scottbee]

I'm going to be on the Triumph the week of October 3. We'll be in St. John October 6 and Halifax October 8.

 

Any chance we'll see the aurora borealis (aka northern lights)?

 

No, Halifax and St John are just over 45 degrees north; about the same as Minneapolis MN and Portland OR. You're just not far north enough.

[sapper1]

The Northern Lights are often visable in August here in New Brunswick but you have to be out of the city and away from lights to watch them. Back in the days when we used to sail on the river system we spent many a night sitting out on deck enjoying the lights dancing in the sky.

[sapper1]

The Northern Lights are often visable in August here in New Brunswick but you have to be out of the city and away from lights to watch them. Back in the days when we used to sail on the river system we spent many a night sitting out on deck enjoying the lights dancing in the sky.

[PennyAgain]

My attitude about Northern LIghts is to at least make the effort of finding a dark place on your ship and look! Most people never venture out on deck in the dark of night. I've had a lot of fun star gazing at sea.

 

Give it a try! Usually in the area under the Bridge of a ship it is dark so the officers can see out. Top decks are iffy due to all the lights.

[RedbirdFL]

Thanks for the answers. I will check the skies at night. I'm sure if nothing else, I'll see some gorgeous stars!

[KelliKevin]

Hi, we are fellow Floridians here is St. Petersburg, going on the same cruise!

[RedbirdFL]

Kelli and Kevin - we're in Orlando. Hello from your I-4 neighbors!

[mdod]

Oooh...I was just asking my husband about this the other day and he didn't think we'd be far enough north to see anything. That's encouraging that you've seen it in NS sapper1. Wikipedia says it's best Sept-Oct and March-April are the best and we'll have a sea day between Sydney and LaBaie so maybe we'll get lucky.

 

PennyAgain, I read that the Spirit is one of the few ships that has a promenade deck that goes all the way around the ship. Would the forward section of the Promenade Deck be what you are talking about as far as being under the bridge?

[sapper1]

Oooh...I was just asking my husband about this the other day and he didn't think we'd be far enough north to see anything. That's encouraging that you've seen it in NS sapper1. Wikipedia says it's best Sept-Oct and March-April are the best and we'll have a sea day between Sydney and LaBaie so maybe we'll get lucky.

 

PennyAgain, I read that the Spirit is one of the few ships that has a promenade deck that goes all the way around the ship. Would the forward section of the Promenade Deck be what you are talking about as far as being under the bridge?

My experience with the Northern Lights has been in New Bruswick, not Nova Scotia. I suspect there would not be any difference but I cannot say for sure.

[mdod]

My experience with the Northern Lights has been in New Bruswick, not Nova Scotia.

 

Right sapper1. Just an error on my part. Our sea day will be between Sydney and LaBaie so I figured that would be at least as far north as any place you were in NB. Too bad they don't have star gazing times on the ship where they turn out all the lights.

[PennyAgain]

Oooh...I was just asking my husband about this the other day and he didn't think we'd be far enough north to see anything. That's encouraging that you've seen it in NS sapper1. Wikipedia says it's best Sept-Oct and March-April are the best and we'll have a sea day between Sydney and LaBaie so maybe we'll get lucky.

 

PennyAgain, I read that the Spirit is one of the few ships that has a promenade deck that goes all the way around the ship. Would the forward section of the Promenade Deck be what you are talking about as far as being under the bridge?

 

Well, that's a good place to start. Look up at the bridge and see if there is a public viewing area under it. On some ships there is. I always ask the ships' officers for viewing ideas. Sometimes you can even get the captain to run off the top deck lights for a set time if the night sky is clear.

 

We've asked by dropping off a letter at the purser's desk (or whatever that ship calls it) to be given to the captain. Most men of the sea are delighted to have passengers who care about the night sky. Of course all the navigation lights have to stay on, but turning off the uppermost deck lights really helps on a good night.

 

You will find that most passengers do not go out on deck after dark. Often it seems we have the whole ship to ourselves. They miss so much!

 

Good luck with your viewing! Watch for a variety of colors, even green. I have most often seen red. You might mistake the red for a fire off somewhere. I've often felt I could hear them and many people in Alaska will tell you that. I do know that when they are out I can feel them.

 

I didn't see them when I rented a cottage near La Baie as the mountains were in the way. You need to take your chances out on the open sea.

[mdod]

We've asked by dropping off a letter at the purser's desk (or whatever that ship calls it) to be given to the captain. Most men of the sea are delighted to have passengers who care about the night sky. Of course all the navigation lights have to stay on, but turning off the uppermost deck lights really helps on a good night.

 

Wow! They actually might do that? I'll certainly give it a shot. When we went to the Canadian Rockies several years ago we spent one night at a B&B near the Icefields Parkway specifically because it was in an area known for stargazing and we were there around the time of the new moon. The place was great but it was cloudy when we were there. :(

 

I thought stargazing should be great at sea but we haven't been able to see much so far.

[PennyAgain]

I've traveled a great deal by sea back to the days when it was transportation and not a vacation. Over that time we've asked for a dark situation on several ships large and small.

 

Off Hawaii the captain turned down the lights so all could see the volcano putting red hot lava into the sea and gave us all plenty of time to get a good look.

 

On the QE2 mid-Atlantic the officers hosted a star party on our one clear night. For about a half hour the lights were off on the upper decks and dimmed elsewhere. I think 6 passengers turned up for it.

 

Much the same on a Crystal cruise lines ship but I think it was a regular event hosted by an officer who was extremely interested. The captain joined us when he came off watch. We had a rather large group of passengers for that.

 

Also on older and much smaller ships.

 

The captain may just say no, but may recommend a place where you can view the best under the circumstances.

 

Of course if you get any help at all, don't forget to write a thank you note.

 

Alaska Airlines pilots are famous for doing Northern Lights commentary as they fly Alaska. You can always ask when you fly that far north and it is night.

 

Good luck!

[eileen & jay]

Hubbie and I will be on the look out on our cruise next month. During our 1st Alaskan cruise (Seward to Vancouver) we missed the Lights by a few hours. Certainly worth the time.:)

[mdod]

On the QE2 mid-Atlantic the officers hosted a star party on our one clear night. For about a half hour the lights were off on the upper decks and dimmed elsewhere. I think 6 passengers turned up for it.

 

Only 6? That's too bad. I'll never forget going to my grandparents farm in SE Kansas when I was about 6 or 7 and looking up at all the stars. I grew up in Chicago and had never seen anything like that. The whole sky was twinkling. The only other time I saw anything like that was when we went to Zion National Park in 1996. The rangers gave a stargazing talk and there were so many stars that it was hard to find the main constellations that people know like Orion's Belt and the Big and Little Dipper.

 

Do you request a specific day or just ask if they'll do it on any clear night? I just looked up the phases of the moon. Our cruise is Oct 9-16. The last qtr of the moon is on the 11th and the new moon is on the 18th. We'll be at sea headed for La Baie on Oct 14th and moonrise is at 2:04 AM that day so that sounds promising.

[PennyAgain]

I would write a little letter early in your trip with the information you included above. State that you would love to view the stars and planets from the sea and would appreciate information on where to view for best results.

 

I would then mention the Northern Lights possiblity.

 

This should land you some advice at the least and a viewing invitation at best.

 

Many people who are ships officers have an interest in seeing the stars and some are very interested. I've found that many are disappointed that most passengers don't seem to care at all about this subject.

 

On my of my sea voyages one of the passengers was a very elderly retired merchant marine captain who was traveling with his wife, children and grandchildren. He negotiated with the captain for those of us who wanted to do some viewing. Since that time I always been willing to at least ask about it and encourage friends who are traveling by sea to do so as well.

 

It doesn't always work due to weather, but I make a try. I also check out many places on the ship during daylight to see about access and possible viewing perches.

 

Even with all the ships lights on bright as Christmas, you can usually still find a good viewing spot which won't be crowded as most passengers don't go out at night.

 

Good luck! Please encourage other people to try star gazing as well. Perhaps we can start a trend.

[Captain Canuck]

I got sent on a course in yellowknife...locals were nice enough to take me out on a frozen lake in their car to see the northern lights...away from the city they were unreal..but it was 50 below so there is a trade off

[mdod]

I would write a little letter early in your trip with the information you included above. State that you would love to view the stars and planets from the sea and would appreciate information on where to view for best results.

 

Good luck! Please encourage other people to try star gazing as well. Perhaps we can start a trend.

 

Thanks Penny. I'll try it and let you know what happens. In case somebody comes across this thread, here's a link I found for the Geophysical Institute's forecast page with a bunch of links on the right hand side. http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/

[mdod]

I got sent on a course in yellowknife...locals were nice enough to take me out on a frozen lake in their car to see the northern lights...away from the city they were unreal..but it was 50 below so there is a trade off

 

-50??? Yikes! I'd be afraid the car wouldn't start back up!

[RedbirdFL]

Thanks for all the stargazing tips.

 

This summer, we were in Colorado and had a fun time stargazing and watching for satellites and the International Space Station (which was particularly bright when it was hooked up to the Shuttle).

 

Here's a site that you can use to find stargazing conditions, plus when and where various satellites will be in your viewing area: http://cleardarksky.com/csk/

[Putterdude]

As a child I can remember seeing them from Vancouver on a cold clear winter night...likley about 1950 or 1951 but have never seen them since except in Whitehorse where of course they were quite vivid.

[eileen & jay]

In case somebody comes across this thread, here's a link I found for the Geophysical Institute's forecast page with a bunch of links on the right hand side. http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/

 

 

Thank you for the web site link!:D

[PennyAgain]

Putterdude! Too many city lights now in Vancouver. City is way too big. I've been trying to think where the furthest south I've ever seen the Northern Lights. On a flight out of Anchorage they lasted past Prince Rupert.

[mdod]

This page has good info about when and where to see it the aurora and a link where you can sign up for an aurora email alert.

 

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/TravelersGuide.htm

 

Darn you redbirdFL (and PennyAgain). You got me off track learning about auroras when I should be figuring out what to do in Montreal (or painting my kitchen!). I'm learning a lot of neat stuff about auroras though! Unfortunately it says the maritimes are usually cloud covered in the fall so it's going to take some good travel karma to see it.