Astronomy

FROM THE EDITOR
BY DAVID J. EICHER
Join us for aurorae
in Iceland!
This fall Korey Haynes,
our associate editor
and an enthusiastic
aurora seeker, will lead
a tour to Iceland to
observe magnificent displays
of northern lights. I cordially
invite you to come along for
what will certainly be the
experience of a lifetime. I
know — I was in Iceland a
couple of years ago and saw
the greatest and brightest
auroae of my lifetime.
Two tours will take place
including Astronomy readers
in partnership with
TravelQuest Tours, a company
based in Arizona. They
will take place September
23–30 and October 1–8,
2016, and will include
guided explorations of the
Icelandic landscape, incredible
meals and accommodations,
and five nights of
relaxed aurora viewing just
steps away from the hotel.
You may appreciate
Iceland not only for some of
the greatest auroral shows on
Earth, but also for incredible
geological wonders. The former
comes from the fact that
Iceland is situated directly
underneath the auroral oval,
the area that lights up when
solar particles flood our magnetosphere.
You will probably
be equally entranced by the
Blue Lagoon, the geysers you
will see, and waterfalls that
will make you feel like you’re
traveling through a strange,
otherworldly, and amazing
landscape.
The trips will begin with
flying into Iceland’s major
city, Reykjavik, the capital
and a beautiful place to see.
With Reykjavik as a base,
you will see lava flows, volcanic
fissures, sulfuric vents,
and hot springs. This will set
your mind into a realm of
planetary exploration. And
then you’ll wade into the
famous Blue Lagoon (if you
so choose), buoyed by mineral-rich
waters. You’ll then
explore Reykjavik’s harbor
and historical district.
Museums, churches, fine
restaurants, and shopping
play into a free day in
Reykjavik, after which you’ll
begin to explore some of the
nation’s greatest geological
attractions. Thingvellir
National Park hosts a collection
of geysers — bubbling,
multicolored pools of geothermal
activity — along
with large fissures dotted
around Iceland’s largest lake.
You will also see the spectacular
Gullfoss — “golden
waterfall” — the most spectacular
in Iceland.
You will then explore the
incredible Landmannalaugar
Volcanic Zone, where you
can see a landscape built of
colorful rhyolite and jetblack
obsidian. Explorations
here will show you Mount
Hekla, one of Iceland’s most
active volcanoes, and a huge
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water-filled crater formed in
the 15th century. You can
walk through lava fields,
enjoy a picnic lunch, and
take a dip into a hot spring
fed by a geothermal brook.
Another day will bring
you to the Thjórsárdalur
Valley, displaying rugged
terrain typical of the
Icelandic countryside, and to
highlands that will amaze
you. Here you’ll see
Hjálparfoss, a waterfall
framed by columns of
twisted basalt, and a reconstructed
12th-century
Viking farmhouse.
Travel then takes you
along the Icelandic south
shore, to Skógafoss waterfall,
a monumental 180-foot drop,
and to Skógar, a living folk
museum where you can see
traditional Icelandic homes
that teach the rich heritage of
this country. You will then
spend a day in the Thórsmörk
Nature Reserve, surrounded
by three glaciers and crisscrossed
by rivers, an area that
will give you the feeling of
walking about on Mars.
Oh, and by the way, did I
mention that over five nights
you will be watching for
aurorae?
For more, visit http://
astronomy.com/magazine/
trips-tours.
Yours truly,
David J. Eicher
Editor
Editor David J. Eicher
Art Director LuAnn Williams Belter
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6 ASTRONOMY • JUNE 2016