The northern lights have fascinated me endlessly since I first learned about them growing up. How could something be so beautiful, and yet so few of us get to see it? I felt like seeing the northern lights could be a life changing experience for me. This was at the very top of my bucket list.

The northern lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) are caused by the collision of gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with electrically charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Essentially, electrons and protons from the sun are blown towards our planet by solar winds, and although many are deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field, that same field is weakest at the North and South Poles. It is through here that some of those particles enter our atmosphere and collide with gas particles, which emits the light we see dancing in the sky.

I finally got to see the lights in Abisko, which is a tiny town situated about as far north as you can go in Sweden – well above the Arctic Circle. Only 100 people live here on a year-round basis. They survive mostly on tourism, as Abisko is considered to be one of (if not THE) best place to view the northern lights anywhere in the world. They have their own special micro-climate, which prevents clouds from hanging around for very long. In winter, it barely ever rains.

It was my second night there, and I had taken the 20-minute chairlift ride up to the top of Mt. Nuolja (around 1,160m high). I was sitting in the snow looking at the valley below and the surrounding mountain ranges, in total awe of how beautiful it looked.

Suddenly, to the left, the sky started to change colour. Everybody started to trudge through the snow as quickly as possible, and as we arrived to the other side of the mountain peak, there was nothing to do but marvel at the slow-moving, breathtaking colours dancing in the sky in front of us. Everyone sat wherever they were – on rocks, in the snow – watched, silently. Nobody made a sound. We watched in unison for 30 minutes.

There was a feeling of total peace and serenity that washed over me. It put so many things in perspective for me: my place in the world, the size of the universe, the beauty of nature, and what really matters in life.

It was as close to magic as I’ve ever come, and possibly ever will.