Northern Lights
January 22, 2000

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The Northern Lights shine when tiny particles from the sun bounce into the earth's atmosphere. They create little electromagnetic flares that combine to form a tapestry of flowing lights across the sky during the winter time.

For the last couple of months, the people up in Tromso, Norway have had nothing but Northern Lights. The sun disappeared last November and hasn't shown itself since. Imagine...it happens every winter...two months of just the Northern Lights to guide your way.

So...of course, when the sun returns, it's time to celebrate. And that day is coming up, in about two weeks actually. Which means the Northern Lights Festival in Tromso. It's a whole weekend of parties, and, of course, music. It'll be mostly classical, jazz and, this year, some flamenco from Spain to get everyone's blood pumping again.

The festival goes from January 27th through the 30th, way up in Tromso. Now, that's pretty far into the Arctic Circle, so remember, the Northern Lights will be spectacular, but you're gonna need to wear more than a few pairs of mittens.