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Northern Lights Space & Science Centre



The Northern Lights Space & Science Centre is now closed for the season. We look forward to new and familiar faces at the Centre next season, starting in May 2024!



 


Welcome to the Northern Lights Space and Science Centre

A unique facility built in 1996 to feature the amazing phenomena known as the 'Northern Lights' or 'Aurora borealis', the Northern Lights Centre boasts state-of-the-art panoramic video and surround-sound systems. The Northern Lights Centre also incorporates interactive displays that explain the science and folklore of the Northern Lights with the latest information about the Canadian space program. Canadian rocket technology played an important part in early Northern Lights research.

 

The spectacular dancing Northern Lights are showcased in Yukon's Northern Lights, a video that is broadcast in the NLC's domed 100-seat theatre daily throughout the summer season. During the winter season, nature puts on frequent displays of colorful lights outdoors so the Northern Lights Centre is used for community events, space science education, and movies.

Schedule - Daily Shows

Daily 2-part presentations. Each ticket purchased at the Northern Lights Centre gives you admission to two shows related to the Northern Lights and Space and Science on our new SciDome HD system.

Total running time: 1 Hour
Shows start at: 11am and run every hour on the hour

Admission Ticket Prices- Daily Shows

        Adult (ages 19-59)                                                                          $15.00

        Senior (60+) & Youth (ages 13-18 years)                                    $12.00

        Children (4-12 years)                                                                     $10.00

        Children (under 4 years)                                                                  FREE


WHAT ARE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south.
Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.


WHAT CAUSES THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.


The connection between the Northern Lights and sunspot activity has been suspected since about 1880. Thanks to research conducted since the 1950's, we now know that electrons and protons from the sun are blown towards the earth on the 'solar wind'. (Note: 1957-58 was International Geophysical Year and the atmosphere was studied extensively with balloons, radar, rockets and satellites. Rocket research is still conducted by scientists at Poker Flats, a facility under the direction of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks - see web page http://www.gi.alaska.edu/


The temperature above the surface of the sun is millions of degrees Celsius. At this temperature, collisions between gas molecules are frequent and explosive. Free electrons and protons are thrown from the sun's atmosphere by the rotation of the sun and escape through holes in the magnetic field. Blown towards the earth by the solar wind, the charged particles are largely deflected by the earth's magnetic field. However, the earth's magnetic field is weaker at either pole and therefore some particles enter the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas particles. These collisions emit light that we perceive as the dancing lights of the north (and the south).


The lights of the Aurora generally extend from 80 kilometres (50 miles) to as high as 640 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth's surface.

 

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

Northern Lights can be seen in the northern or southern hemisphere, in an irregularly shaped oval centred over each magnetic pole. The lights are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south. Scientists have learned that in most instances northern and southern auroras are mirror-like images that occur at the same time, with similar shapes and colors.


Because the phenomena occurs near the magnetic poles, northern lights have been seen as far south as New Orleans in the western hemisphere, while similar locations in the east never experience the mysterious lights. However the best places to watch the lights (in North America) are in the northwestern parts of Canada, particularly the Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Alaska. Auroral displays can also be seen over the southern tip of Greenland and Iceland, the northern coast of Norway and over the coastal waters north of Siberia. Southern auroras are not often seen as they are concentrated in a ring around Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean.


Areas that are not subject to 'light pollution' are the best places to watch for the lights. Areas in the north, in smaller communities, tend to be best.

 

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO WATCH FOR AURORAL DISPLAYS?

Researchers have also discovered that auroral activity is cyclic, peaking roughly every 11 years. The next peak period is 2013.
Winter in the north is generally a good season to view lights. The long periods of darkness and the frequency of clear nights provide many good opportunities to watch the auroral displays. Usually the best time of night (on clear nights) to watch for auroral displays is local midnight (adjust for differences caused by daylight savings time). http://www.gi.alaska.edu/


LEGENDS OF THE LIGHTS

'Aurora borealis', the lights of the northern hemisphere, means 'dawn of the north'. 'Aurora australis' means 'dawn of the south'. In Roman myths, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn. \par Many cultural groups have legends about the lights. In medieval times, the occurrences of auroral displays were seen as harbingers of war or famine. The Maori of New Zealand shared a belief with many northern people of Europe and North America that the lights were reflections from torches or campfires.


The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed that the lights indicated the location of manabai'wok (giants) who were the spirits of great hunters and fishermen. The Inuit of Alaska believed that the lights were the spirits of the animals they hunted: the seals, salmon, deer and beluga whales. Other aboriginal peoples believed that the lights were the spirits of their people.

 

BIGSCIDOME HD 360° DOME

The Northern Lights Centre is pleased to feature a brand new SciDome HD system by Spitz, powered by Starry Night. The new HD system displays 3 million pixels. The two-projector SciDome HD delivers bright, high definition imagery. The show will be a space related show that is displayed on the 360° dome screen. We are the first in Canada to have this system.

 

YUKON'S NORTHERN LIGHTS

The beauty and majesty of the Aurora Borealis take centre stage featuring footage shot exclusively in the Yukon over a three year period. This variety of Auroral motion and color is set to music, creating an exciting and emotional tone for viewers. One of the highlights of the show is the scientific input regarding the known causes of the Aurora, as well as information and footage of the launch by NASA of the THEMIS mission to solve the Aurora mystery.

 

VIEWSPACE

New to the centre is Viewspace a direct link to the hubble space telescope on a 60" flat screen tv. ViewSpace is an exhibit from the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope. It features an ever changing kaleidoscope of inspiring and educational presentations of the latest and most beautiful in astronomy and space-based earth science. Free to the public in the lobby.


Contact Us

We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments here's how to get a hold of us:

Northern Lights Centre
PO Box 590
Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
Y0A 1C0, Canada

Email: nlc@watsonlake.ca
Phone: (867) 536-7827 (STAR)
Fax: (867) 536-2823