On Saturday, November 6, 2010, Astronomy’s travel group of 15, along with MWT Associates’ Melita Thorpe, continued on our ship-bound journey on the MS Midnatsol, cruising northward along the Norwegian coastline. Our objective, spotting bright shows of aurora borealis, has been slow to start due to pesky cloud cover, intermittent rain, and, today, our first snow showers. Nonetheless, we are hopeful for clearing as we continue northward and are meanwhile soaking up the sights of Norwegian history.
Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim was constructed beginning in the mid-12th century, some 100 years after the death in battle of King Olaf II Haraldsson, who was buried in an earlier church on the site and then reburied in the present cathedral. He is now known as St. Olaf, the revered Norwegian leader. David J. Eicher photo
Our major stop Saturday morning was at Trondheim, population 160,000, formerly the capitol of Norway and a very early city dating to at least 1,000 years ago. The magnificent centerpiece of the city is Nidaros Cathedral, a spectacular stone structure that was built on the site of earlier churches, beginning in the 1140s. Aside from its architectural splendor, which rivals many mainland European cathedrals, the building is famous for holding the remains of King Olaf II Haraldsson (995–1030), the great Norwegian leader who died at the battle of Stiklestad. Subsequent reports of his miraculous postmortem condition led to sainthood, and he has ever since been known as St. Olaf. Olaf’s body is entombed within the present, mammoth stone structure.
Afternoon events consisted of my talk, “35 Years of Amateur Astronomy,” which I delivered to our guests and to ship’s passengers at large, and which included a “behind-the-scenes” look at
Astronomy magazine and its staff. A fine dinner thereafter led to glimpses of clear sky and hopes for a good auroral display later. I will tell you how it went in my next blog.
An overview of Trondheim shows the cathedral at center and a wide expanse of snow that gave Astronomy’s group our first taste of winter. David J. Eicher photo
Remember, you can find photos from our trip at Astronomy.com's
Trips and Tours page.
Related blogs:
Astronomy in Norway rolls on
The quest for aurorae begins
On the road: Norwegian aurorae