2100) Northern Lights, Finland: Posti (Finland Post) has issued a Christmas No Value Indicator Postage Stamp featuring the Northern Lights: Date of Stamp issue: 26.10.2021:
For my post on the Holographic $1 Coin on the "Southern Lights", minted by the New Zealand Mint, and related posts, please visit the following link:
About Northern Lights:
An Aurora (plural: "Auroras" or "Aurorae"), also known as "Polar Lights", "Aurora Polaris"(or "Northern Lights"), "Aurora Borealis (or Southern Lights" or "Aurora Australis", is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic).
Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky.
Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind.
These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. These particles, mainly electrons and protons, precipitate into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere).
The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of varying colour and complexity. The form of the aurora, occurring within bands around both polar regions, is also dependent on the amount of acceleration imparted to the precipitating particles.
Most of the planets in the Solar System, some natural satellites, brown dwarfs, and even comets also host Auroras.
More about The "Northern Lights":
The "Northern Lights" as they are called form a spell-binding natural light show that produces shimmering sheets of colourful light that appear to dance across the sky.
Most people are very familiar with the Northern Lights (the “Aurora Borealis”), which have fascinated and amazed those living in the Northern Hemisphere, whereas, the natural phenomenon occurs around both the Northern and Southern polar regions.
The term “Aurora” was coined by Galileo Galilei in 1619, named after the Roman goddess of Dawn and the Greek name for the North wind.
Most Auroras – Northern and Southern – occur in a band known as the “Auroral Zone” which is typically 3 degrees to 6 degrees wide in Latitude and between 10 degrees to 20 degrees form the geo-magnetic poles at all local times. A Region which displays an Aurora id called the “Aurora Oval”.
What causes the Auroras?
The “Lights of Auroras”, as they are called occur when gaseous particles/atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere collide with charged particles released from the Sun’s atmosphere they cause electrons in the atoms to move to a higher-energy state. When the electrons drop back to a lower energy state, they release a photon – light. This process creates the Northern & Southern lights.
Solar winds blow charged particles called electrons and protons towards the Earth, where they are largely deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field.
The reason these lights do not occur in the Equatorial Regions is that the flows of energetic electrons and protons that trigger auroras travel along the Earth’s magnetic field lines that connect the distant geomagnetic tail region with the Earth’s surface field.
These field lines reach the Earth only in the polar caps areas. The magnetic field is weaker at both the poles, allowing some particles to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with gas particles. Variations in colour are caused by the collisions of varying gas particles.
The Colours of the Auroras:
The Northern Lights can range in colour from red, green, yellow, blue, pink, green, purple, ultraviolet or infrared with the colours dependant on a number of factors. The type of solar wind particle, the type of gas molecule and the electrical state at the time of collision – all have an effect on the eventual colour of the Aurora.
Green Auroras are the most common and are produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. The rarer red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles.
Nitrogen gases are needed to produce blue or purple aurora lights. These collisions emit light that we perceive as the dancing lights of the auroras and if one sees them once, they a sight that one remembers for a lifetime.
Interestingly, an “Aurora noise”, similar to a hissing or crackling sound begins approx. 70 metres (or 230 feet) above the Earth’s surface and is caused by charged particles in an inversion layer of the atmosphere formed during a cold night. The charged particles discharge when particles from the sun hit the inversion layer creating the noise.
The Stamp:
This year, Posti’s Christmas stamps feature traditional Christmas imagery combined with more modern digital line art. The Christmas stamps designed by Klaus Welp portray snow-covered mountain-scape, featuring Pine Tree and the Northern Lights.
Northern lights against a dark sky present a stunning sight.
The No Value indicator stamp
The First Day Cover (FDC) features Pine Trees at left in a snow-scaped mountainous landscape.
The postage stamp is affixed at top right cancelled with a special Stamp showing Northern Lights in the Centre. The cancellation is of Helsinki Post Office & the Cancellation is dated - "26.10.2021".
Posts on Finland:
For interesting posts from the Caribbean Netherlands on this blog:
9) "De Haar Castle", Utrecht, Netherlands: The first Coin to be released in the "Dutch Castles" Coin Series: A silver Ducat Trade Coin with a history spanning over 350 years, minted by the Royal Dutch Mint: Date/Year of Delivery: 04/2020
10) First Atlases, Netherlands: Commemorating 450 Years of the first Atlas (1570-2020) & others: A Stamp Sheet of six stamps depicting the Atlases which were compiled in the Netherlands in the 16th & 17th Centuries AD: Stamp Set issued by POstNL: Date of Stamp Set issue: 23.03.2020
12) 75th Anniversary of the United Nations Organisation (UNO), The Netherlands: A Coin-card set of three denominations of 0.50 Euros, 0.20 Euros and 0.05 Euros minted by the Royal Dutch Mint to celebrate the milestone: Year of Coin-card issue: 2020
15) "Franking Labels" from Greenland: Franking Labels issued by POST Greenland Filatelia since 2009 onwards: A brief analysis
16) Ancient Postal Routes - the Postal Boat Race - between Aland and Sweden", Aland, Finland: A EUROPA Postage Stamp of 2.00 Euro issued by Aland Post: Date of Stamp issue: 08.05.2020
Thanks for sharing this valuable and understanding article with us.
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