Hello everybody and welcome to this new blog post! In today’s post, I’m going to show you how beautiful the Swedish sky can be, especially during Winter. Everyday I get more amazed by what this country has to offer, especially when it comes to incredible sceneries – come with me and discover what the Swedish skies can gift you!
Northern lights
I am sure that, when you think about the Nordic sky, the first thing that pops to your mind is the Aurora Borealis (also known as “Northern lights”).
Auroras originate from the ionisation and excitation of atmospheric constituents, caused by the solar wind. I personally think that their beauty lies in the connection that they create between Earth and space – it’s beautiful to think that distant phenomena like solar winds and solar mass ejections can have this effect on our planet: it really makes you realise that everything is connected.
Northern lights are pretty rare to spot in Southern Sweden, but it can happen: during this winter, visible auroras were spotted three times in Stockholm, leading to a general excitement between Stockholmers!
Stratospheric clouds
Polar stratospheric clouds are created at around 20.000 metres of altitude, where the temperature can reach as low as -80°C! They are iridescent and mostly appear near sunset. Personally, I never knew polar clouds even existed and I was super surprised and fascinated when I first saw one! This is another thing that I like about living here: you get to enjoy things that would have never been possible to see in your home country!
Incredible sunsets
Due to the high latitude, sunsets and sunrises in Stockholm last much more than what I was used to – and they can be super intense! Especially when it is slightly cloudy, it is not hard to see the sky bursting in orange to then slowly transition to a violet-like colour, making it look like you’re about to enter Stranger Things’ upside-down.
I personally love taking a study break to enjoy the sunset, maybe while having a quick walk in the campus to grab a coffee or to enjoy the nature that is all around the university.
That is all for today’s post. Living here is truly a blessing if you enjoy nature in all its shades and forms! Also, another reason why I think studying at KTH is great is the university’s focus on innovation and its connection to the industry: so why don’t you give a look at Raygo and Martyna’s posts on KTH Innovation & Collide and internships in Sweden?
Thank you very much for reading, I wish you all a very nice weekend!
// Lorenzo