Winter is here

It has been very nipply lately... clear blue skies with temperatures between -7 and -12 degrees. We went skiing again yesterday, although I had to withdraw to the warmth of the ski cabin in order to thaw out. (It was touch and go there for a while, but I did manage to avoid getting my fingers and toes amputated from frostbite). As they say here though, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

The weather conditions (clear skies and very cold temperatures) are perfect for the Northern Lights, however I think the Lights are shy because there are not coming out to play. Apparently, one of the main factors that influence the Northern Lights is the level of solar wind activity, which has been lower than normal this year. I can now check out the level of Northern Lights activity on the Geophysical Institute website and go out searching for them when the activity levels are moderate / high. (The internet is so wonderful! What on earth did people do before the internet? Did they talk to each other or something crazy like that?)