From Austin to the Arctic: When the Lady Aurora Finally Danced

For Trish and Tony Stowe from Austin, Texas, seeing the northern lights had been a dream for a long time. In fact, it had been on Trish's bucket list for nearly 20 years.

Their journey toward the aurora actually started a few years ago much closer to home. One night they heard on the news that the northern lights might be visible as far south as Texas. Excited by the possibility, they drove out to a dark spot on their property and spent the entire night outside hoping for a glimpse of the sky glowing above them. But the lights never appeared.

Still, the experience stayed with them, and Tony decided that one day he would take his wife somewhere they could truly chase the aurora.

Planning the Trip of a Lifetime

This year he made that plan a reality. Together with their friends Adam and Christine Clear, also from Austin, the group traveled across the Atlantic to begin their adventure. They first visited Iceland before continuing on to Tromsø in northern Norway, one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis. The trip also happened to fall on Tony and Trish's anniversary, which made the journey even more meaningful.

When they arrived in Tromsø, however, the weather looked discouraging. Strong winds were blowing, snow was falling, and low clouds covered the sky. Tony admits he was nervous.

“We don't have much money. I was scared we had wasted our life savings and wouldn't see the lights.”

— Tony, Austin Texas

For weeks he had been studying forecasts and following the KP index on PolarForecast, but the conditions still looked uncertain.

The Aurora Chase

Hoping the skies might clear, Tony reached out through the PolarForecast Facebook page. He was provided updated guidance on the aurora and weather conditions based on his GPS location and reassured that the skies might improve.

That evening the group boarded a minibus and drove for several hours into the Arctic night, searching for clearer skies before finally stopping at a promising location.

Waiting in the Cold

Then came the waiting. The group stood outside in the cold for nearly six hours watching the sky.

“Without the updates I would have given up and sat back in the minibus — and would have missed it.”

— Tony

Then the clouds began to break.

When the Lights Finally Appeared

At first the aurora was faint. Slowly it grew brighter as green ribbons stretched across the sky.

“Words cannot describe the experience.”

— Tony

As the northern lights danced overhead, Tony finally looked over and saw that his wife was crying. After dreaming about it for nearly two decades, Trish was finally watching the Lady Aurora dance.

“I was a proud husband who was able to check an item off my wife's bucket list.”

— Tony

Aurora Fever

Like many people who see the northern lights for the first time, the experience quickly became addictive. After their successful sighting, the group decided to change their plans and stay another night.

“We moved things around and are staying another night. The aurora is addictive. Until next time.”

— Tony from Texas