Adventures of an Icebreaker: The Northern Lights put on a show

Over Baffin Bay. Photo by Andrew Margolin

Operating in the high latitudes aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy comes with many unique perks. Those who were awake late at night while Healy was operating in Baffin Bay got a front row seat to an evening lightshow courtesy of the Northern Lights!

Photo by Andrew Margolin

The colorful Aurora Borealis danced across the crisp, clear night sky for hours and streaked directly above Healy.

Photo by Andrew Margolin

Healy, a 420’-long medium icebreaker, is the biggest ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet and serves as a premier high-latitude research vessel.

Photo by Andrew Margolin

Members from the international science community and institutions from the U.S. and Norway are deployed aboard Healy to perform oceanographic research projects throughout the Northwest Passage and within Baffin Bay to inform environmental research.