Canada, February 2017: I stood in the snow on a frozen lake, watching as the sky twisted in front of me. Green bands of light stretched out in the darkness. Slowly the colours writhed and broke and reappeared elsewhere until, suddenly, a whole band rippled and pulsed across the sky, fringed with delicate yellow, pinks and purples. It was as dramatic as a thunderstorm, yet calm. Gentle, yet astonishing. Most of all, it was a gift.
ILLUSTRATION: ALEXANDER WELLS – FOLIO ART. PHOTOGRAPHS: MARK READ, MATT MUNRO, MEHMET O/ALAMY
This was my fifth aurora trip and the first time I had seen fast movements and bright colours. The calm, green auroral displays that many people see are driven by a constant stream of particles from the sun, called the solar wind. But when the sun throws us extra hot, fast particles, this process goes into overdrive – we get much more movement and colour. It is glorious! Aurora-spotters long for it.