Amazing natural phenomena to see before it's too late

The world is full of beautiful phenomena. It would be a cliché to say that you must see them before you die…but, to be honest, it would really be worth seeing them in your time.

Aurora Borealis

I find Aurora Borealis one of the most amazing and magic phenomena on Earth.
The display of lights can be observed throughout the world, although, it is most visible in the regions around poles thanks to the longer periods of darkness and the magnetic field.

Aurora in Iceland by Arnar Valdimarsson

Bear Lake, Alaska, USA. Credit: Joshua Strang

Aurora over Oslo, Norway by ergates

Lavender

Covered with lavender fields, Provence, France, is an option for those who are not fans of frozen lands like Alaska or Iceland.  The best time to go there is the end of June and July when flowers are in full bloom. The province’s villages and towns throw a number of harvest celebrations and lavender festivals that run from June to mid-August.

Lavender at Asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy by travelingmcmahans

Lavender...by saracino

Sea of lavender by fxp

Sakura

If you plan a trip to Japan, why not to choose the time when Sakura is in bloom? To see Japan’s concrete and congested buildings softened with trillions of pink and white flowers, go to Tokyo or Kyoto at the end of March and in April. A few weeks later blossoming reaches  Hokkaidō.

Sakura in Tokyo by Yoshikazur@Tokyo

Blossoming over Tokyo by David Lee JP

Sakura at Higashi Shirahige Park by pict_u_re

While in Japan it behooves you to climb Mt. Fuji, considered by Japanese the Holy Mountain. You won’t be alone as there are around 200,000 people going up Fuji a year but you might be a lucky one to see the cloudy cap above the mount such like the one below.

Mt. Fuji called by Japanese Fujisan

Sort Sol

If you are not in Japan sniffing cherry flowers around March and April you, can head for Denmark where the Black Sun covers the sky. The thing sounds a bit spiritualistic but in fact it is a very ornithological event. Called “Sort Sol” by the Danes, it is a enormous group of black starlings that can be seen in several places in Denmark and mainly around Tønder Marsh in southern Jutland. The birds leave their feeding places at sunset and take flight before they settle in for the night. The phenomenon may also be seen in autumn.

Black sun over Denmark

Starlings taking flight after feeding. Credit: Tondermarskens NaturCenter

The phenomena can also be observed in Scotland, by Gail Johnson

Cappuccino Coast

This phenomenon does not occur very often so you would be a lucky one to catch it. It happened in 2007 in North Sydney, Australia, and transformed the beach into the Cappuccino Coast. But I’m afraid you have to wait for another wave of foam for several dozen years. Previously it occurred three decades ago. But don’t worry, while in Australia, a solid glass of latte or a cup of cappuccino with extra froth may be a consolation.

Photo copyright by Icon Images, from Australia’s Daily Mail.

Photo copyright by Icon Images, from Australia’s Daily Mail.

Tags: Sort Sol, Sakura, lavender, Denmark, Japan, Aurora Borealis