On Sunday, November 7, 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 and snow showers. Nonetheless, we are hopeful for clearing as we continue northward and meanwhile are soaking up the sights of Norwegian history.
North of the Arctic Circle, thick blankets of snow coated mountains along the Norwegian coastline, as seen from our ship, the MS Midnatsol. David J. Eicher photo
Sunday morning we crossed north of the Arctic Circle, and the mountains visible along the shoreline were all coated in heavy snow; we had intermittent flurries, sometimes heavy, out on the sea. By midmorning, we arrived at Ørnes and then made north for Bodø, where we arrived by lunchtime. This charming city of 45,000 was coated in recent snowfall, and flurries came down around us as we explored the town. A bus transported us to the Norwegian Aviation Museum, a highly impressive structure, very modern, with a hangar loaded with commercial aircraft and another with military planes. The latter contained significant coverage of Norway’s brutal experience in World War II, including many German planes and artifacts, the most amazing of which was the downed wreck of a Junkers 88 bomber.
A spectacular display in the military hangar at Bodø’s Norwegian Aviation Museum shows the wreckage of a downed German Junkers 88 bomber. David J. Eicher photo
Departing Bodø by mid-afternoon, we carried on north to Stamsund and then Svolvaer. The forecast for for last night was not encouraging for aurorae, but we will keep trying and hoping for less overcast skies as we move farther north.
And remember, you can find photos from our trip at Astronomy.com's Trips and Tours page.
Related blogs:
Waiting for aurorae, visiting St. Olaf
Astronomy in Norway rolls on
The quest for aurorae begins
On the road: Norwegian aurorae