Not everyone is fortunate enough to see them. On the Lofoten Islands, in Norway, Rob Stammes is there to help. His office is cluttered with technical equipment and monitors. Multiple printers spit long rolls of paper with curves and there is always a machine that is constantly beeping somewhere. “I am in contact with the sun. I am in contact with the sun” he says, smiling from behind his long white beard. He knows the sun and knows when it is active, with this information, he also knows when and where the next aurora will be seen.

Luminous electrometer

Together with his wife Theresa, the 62-year-old Dutchman operates the Polar Air Museum in the 450 populated villages of Laukvik. The fishing village is located in the north of the Lofoten island Austvågøy where the Stammes, in the former town hall, decided to plant their roots five years ago, Since then they have been inundated throughout the winter with many tourists. People come as far as Dubai for Rob’s expertise on the Northern Lights and above all to see the beautiful visible phenomena. Rob is not only an expert, who for many years has engaged himself with the Aurora Borealis, he also offers a unique service to the tourist: By way of text messaging, he informs his guests during their stay in Lofoten when something is brewing in the sky.

“There is a low activity with a bow to the north,” he informs his guests. His wife Theresa shows photos, the house next door with a gigantic green sky above it. ” how intense the colours of the Northern Lights are, is for the human eye imperceptible, the camera captures the colour far better,” explains Rob, the expert.

To see is to be quick

From a scientific point of view the Aurora Borealis, which is referred to also as the Northern Lights at the North Pole and Southern Lights at the South Pole, is caused by electrons and protons in the solar wind which clashes with thin gas molecules and atoms in our atmosphere. Northern Lights can also be present in the brightness of summer, only they are not visible.
On the Lofoten Islands in the polar light zone, there are often northern lights to be seen in the period from mid-September to early April. During these months, Rob and Theresa have their hands full in their museum and with the holiday apartments. Visitors are given their key and wait for the right SMS alert to be sent to them
Everywhere there are monitors that sound the alarm when the time has come for a viewing. “No time should be lost, immediately go out and look,” says Rob. Often, the lights disappear as fast as they came. And sometimes they stay for minutes at a time. The specialist offers his SMS service daily and around the clock.

The Northern Lights as art

The archipelago of Lofoten is far north of Norway between 67° and 68° degree of latitude and about 100 to 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the climate is relatively mild. The coldest months are January and February with an average temperature of -1 ° C. Svolvaer is the largest city of 4,000 inhabitants. From January to April up to 50,000 tonnes of cod are caught here.

On the outskirts of Henningsvaer, the smell of fish is in the air. Many would say it’s more of a stench. For weeks now, cod has been drying over huge wooden racks. Stockfish production is exported from Norway, mainly to Italy, Spain and Portugal. In December and January, inferior quality fish can be seen hanging on racks which will be then be processed into animal feed.

In recent years alongside the fishing industry, capturing tourism has steadily gained importance. Svolvaer is the port for Hurtigruten ships and around 280,000 visitors per year besiege the little town. One popular place of interest is the small gallery belonging to Dagfinn Bakke.In the former days, the 79-year-old was working as an illustrator for the island’s only newspaper. Today he is known for his paintings and cartoons. One of his main motives: the Polar Lights.

Dagfinn has his studio directly above the gallery, and despite his age, he still stands at his easel every day. His son Einar, helps him frame the images that his father has created and is also there to welcome the tourists that befall the town with the Hurtigruten ships. Could he see himself living elsewhere? “No,” says Dagfinn, nowhere else and certainly not without the Northern Lights.

Info for Travel to Lofoten

• Information: www.visitnorway.com/en/
  
• Information regarding the Polar Air Museum in Laukvik under www.polarlightcenter.com
• Outdoor Activities: The international ecotourism website: www.lofoten-aktiv.no offers a wide range of activities from hiking, pony rides on the beach, kayaking and skiing.
• The currency of the Kingdom of Norway is the Norwegian Krone. 1 Euro converts approx to 8.1 Kroner.