Growing up in northern Scotland, astronomer Tom Kerss had plenty of opportunities to see the tail end of the northern lights, but it is on board a cruise ship, rather than on land, that he has fallen in love with the spectacle.
The northern lights – or the aurora borealis – are one of the best-known natural phenomena, attracting thousands of visitors to destinations around the Arctic Circle such as Norway, Iceland, Canada and Alaska.
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Kerss remembers getting his first glimpse of the northern lights on the beaches of Scotland near Lossiemouth around age five, kicking off a love of space and the sky.
His work has taken him across the Arctic region, where he has seen countless displays, and now, as the chief aurora chaser for Hurtigruten, he has built up an expertise in spotting the light show regularly.
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Explaining the fascination with the northern lights, he tells The Independent: “For some, it’s the curiosity of a scientific wonder. For others, it’s a wholly spiritual affair. There’s no doubt that news coverage, social media and the increased accessibility of the Arctic have played their part in the surge of popularity, particularly surrounding the recent solar maximum.
“However, there’s something deeper that moves people to take the trip, and I think that’s the unique offer of such a compelling sight, one which only visits us in the UK every so often, and one which is so utterly unique and steeped in mystery.”
He describes the northern lights – caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth’s atmosphere around its magnetic poles – as having a mind of their own, with no two displays being the same.
Kerss adds: “Once you get the bug, you’ll want to return because you don’t know when you’ll see the best display of your life. You just know you don’t want to miss it.”
‘A floating observatory’
Cruise lines such as Hurtigruten, as well as HX, Fred Olsen, Viking and Havila, are well-known for northern lights voyages, but other brands such as Ambassador, P&O Cruises and Celebrity Cruises also operate itineraries.
Kerss says it is important to choose a ship that is well set up…
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