Hunting The Northern Lights

IN OUR REGION, WE REALLY DON’T HAVE TO EXERT OURSELVES much if we want to see the Northern Lights.

- Nadezhda Grebennikova

They can be seen while sitting at home, by just casting a casual glance out the window. And, it’s really not something people get themselves worked up about around here. It’s not a big deal. I imagine that people who live in a verdant tropical jungle probably don’t get very excited about the rare plants blooming all around them, either.

I should explain.

We live at the furthest edge of the inhabited world.If you take out a map of Russia and look in the top left corner, you will find the Kola Peninsula. Can you picture where Anchorage, Alaska is on the map? Now you’ve got the general idea, except Murmansk is in the Eastern hemisphere and 500 miles closer to the North Pole. And this is why for six months each year it is dark, cold, and you can easily see the Northern Lights.

In point of fact, our region has been flooded by tourists hunting the Northern Lights. And if we want to establish blame for this, it could probably be shared by Canon, Nikon, NASA, American politicians, and, in some small measure, Valentin Zhiganov of Apatity, Murmansk Oblast.

VALENTIN PHONED AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME: ON JANUARY 3. This is the point in the annual life cycle of every Russian when all the New Year’s salads have been consumed, every friend and relative has been visited, and people begin to wonder what else they can come up with to fill seven more holiday days.

“Let’s go!” Valentin said, “The lights are glowing right now!” And so photographer Misha and I rushed to suit up. We had to dress as warmly as possible – that, after all, is the prime directive for any Northern Lights hunter.

My babushka retrieved an old suitcase from our storeroom, and pulled from it a pair of ancient, barely worn valenki that were five sizes too big for me.