Northern Lights: The Science, Myth, and Wonder of Aurora Borealis

by Calvin Hall (Photographer)

Paperback, 2001

Call number

538 B

Collection

Publication

Sasquatch Books (2001), Edition: First Printing, 128 pages

Description

Electric green pierced by neon blue, shocking pink spinning into violent red, and shimmering purple sidled up against deep indigo: never before have you seen such high-octane colors in the sky, and never before has a book shown the northern lights-aurora borealis-in such vivid color. In Northern Lights, photographers Calvin Hall and Daryl Pederson bring to print nearly a hundred photographs of this amazing natural phenomenon, shot from remote locations all over Alaska and using no filters or digital enhancement. Just as fascinating are the legends, myths, and science surrounding this polar phenomenon, described by George Bryson. As 2002 marks the peak viewing time of the northern lights in an eleven-year cycle, this book brings the elusive magic of the northern lights to stargazers near and far.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Xleptodactylous
Northern Lights focuses on the sky phenomena Aurora Borealis, a Northern-Hemisphere light show that occurs as charged particles enter the atmosphere and causes ionisation. Put simply, the solar winds (bursts from the sun) interact with the Earth's natural magnetism and pretty lights dance about.

The
Show More
book offers up a side-story accompaniment to the beautiful photographs of many myths and stories surrounding the Northern Lights, including localised tales and conspiracy theories of missing planes. I think the main point anyone would buy this book would be for the photographs: I will admit now that I barely skimmed the wording, not merely because I already know the cause of the Auroras, but also because it was more concerned with Alaska and that does not pique my interest.

The photographs, however, are sublime. Some are of a lower quality than one would like in a book, but they are all as delightful as the next and with each page turn, no two photos are the same, which is definitely true of the Northern Lights itself. They're captured from many different vantage points: from mountains to cities and ski lodges. The Northern Lights are impossible to predict completely, though if there is a strong solar flare from the sun, chances are they will be strong, but you can still never tell if you will see them. It's a risk and a chance that many take and quite often it is missed. At least with this book you can view the spectacle whenever you choose, seeing even the most rare versions of the dancing lights in wonderful colours rarely seen.
Show Less

Pages

128

ISBN

1570612900 / 9781570612909
Page: 0.121 seconds