Best places to see the Northern Lights 2024

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One of the world’s most well-known pure sights, the Northern Lights appeal to folks to areas round the Arctic in hopes of seeing the uncommon show.

Caused by the redirection of particles from the solar that hit the Earth’s ambiance, the beautiful atmospheric phenomenon is seen as the Holy Grail of skywatching and principally happens in areas round Norway, Finland, Sweden and Greenland.

The lights may be seen in different elements of the world; the UK has even had sightings in Scotland, Merseyside and Wales this winter throughout a interval of heightened geomagnetic exercise.

Unfortunately, such sightings are uncommon and most of the people wanting to see the aurora borealis (the scientific identify for the phenomenon, coined by Galileo Galilei) can have to journey additional north.

To enable you in your quest to see the spectacular mild present, we’ve put collectively a listing of the finest places for seeing the Northern Lights and when to go to maximise your probabilities.

Read extra on journey inspiration:

Tromso, Norway

Tromso sits at the centre of the Northern Lights’ oval, which means that the lights may be seen even when exercise is low. According to the tourism web site, Tromso is “one of the places in the world with the highest probability of seeing the lights”, and there may be “always a good chance of seeing” them between September and April.

Temperatures are moderated by the Norwegian Sea and westerly winds, which means that they’re much milder than typical for the latitude, with averages of between 2C and -1C throughout peak viewing occasions (in contrast to Svalbard, the place the common January excessive is -13C).

When to go to Tromso

Your finest probability of seeing the lights in Tromso is between September and April, when the skies are darkish sufficient for them to be seen.

Svalbard, Norway

This Norwegian archipelago is house to extra polar bears than folks and experiences harsh winters, with the solar not correctly rising over the horizon between mid-November and mid-January.

While the islands don’t expertise whole darkness (and subsequently you aren’t assured to see the lights), the predominant island, Spitsbergen, hosts a number of various kinds of expedition to offer you the finest probability of catching the phenomenon. If you’re fortunate, you might even see some polar wildlife equivalent to reindeer, Arctic foxes and walruses too.

When to go to Svalbard

The lights season right here is barely shorter than in Tromso, operating from September till the center of March. The finest time of day to try to see the lights is between 6pm and midnight.

Rovaniemi, Finland

Located in Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi markets itself as the ‘Official Home of Santa Claus’ and accommodates a Santa Claus Village and Santa Park. The Northern Lights are seen right here on “around 150 nights a year” from August, and the tourism web sites offers concepts for close by places to view them.

Among its strategies are the Arctic Garden (a 10-minute stroll away) and the high of Ounasvaara fell (an extended, 45-minute stroll from the city). Among different snow-based actions – equivalent to sledding – you possibly can be part of snowmobile journeys and ice floating excursions as particular methods to take pleasure in the lights.

When to go to Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is one vacation spot the place the lights season is exceptionally lengthy, operating from late August to early April. However, the finest time to go to is throughout the Polar Night interval, from mid-November to mid-January.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland is positioned roughly 65 levels north, making the nation a wonderful choice for these attempting to see the Northern Lights. They may be seen in a number of places, equivalent to Thingvellir National Park or Kirkjufell Mountain, however the finest place to keep when visiting has to be Reykjavik. The Icelandic capital is a typical Nordic metropolis in model and acts as a wonderful base for seeing the pure sights of the nation in the day earlier than occurring a guided journey to see the lights by night time.

When to go to Reykjavik

Iceland has a reasonably typical size to its lights season, operating from September to April.

Abisko, Sweden

Situated in Swedish Lapland, proper at the coronary heart of the aurora oval, Abisko National Park receives no mild air pollution and has one in all the lowest rainfall climates in the Nordic space. With many surrounding mountains to maintain the skies clear, Abisko additionally gives the probability to check out a number of actions equivalent to snowmobiling, fishing and mountain climbing.

The Aurora Sky Station markets itself as “the best place on Earth to experience Northern Lights”, however it appears that evidently this confidence isn’t unfounded: for those who had been to keep for 3 nights in Abisko, you’d have an 88 per cent probability of seeing the lights, whereas the authorities web site additionally claims that the space generally receives “more than two weeks of consecutive northern lights nights”.

When to go to Abisko

Maximise your possibilities of catching the lights by visiting between mid-September and early March.

Yukon, Canada

With a land space of 483,450sqkm, the Yukon is an unlimited area which is nearly as giant as the entirety of Spain. Roughly 80 per cent of the territory is wilderness; it’s house to the longest river in Canada, the second tallest peak in North America (Mount Logan, at 5,959m excessive), the smallest desert in the world (Carcross, at 1.6sqkm) and dozens of animal species, from moose to brown bears.

With this in thoughts, whereas exploring by yourself could also be tempting, when it comes to viewing the lights you’re finest off reserving a tour. It’s a good suggestion to base your self in Whitehorse (the capital, with a inhabitants of simply over 28,000), the place guided excursions will take you to close by spots to offer you the finest probability of seeing the mild present.

When to go to Yukon

Another place with a lights season lasting almost eight months, Yukon’s most energetic time for mild shows is between October and mid-November.

Ilulissat, Greenland

The most sparsely populated nation in the world, Greenland gives the probability to see the lights with uninterrupted calm and tranquility. With a inhabitants of slightly below 5,000 folks, Ilulissat is “rich in Inuit history” and is house to “millions of icebergs”. Low ranges of sunshine air pollution and plenty of clear nights will supply a superb probability of seeing the lights throughout your keep.

With a inhabitants of simply over 500, places equivalent to Kangerlussuaq additionally supply good alternatives to see the lights however could also be too distant for some.

With three new airports coming to the island, entry will quickly be simpler than ever.

When to go to Ilulissat

Along with the remainder of Greenland, Ilulissat has a reasonably typical season, lasting from September to March.

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Home to “some of the darkest skies in the UK”, a few of the islands in the Outer Hebrides sit on the similar latitude as elements of Norway and Alaska. The aurora has been seen as far south as Edinburgh, however the islands of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra are your finest probability for seeing the lights in the UK.

More accessible than most of the different places on this record, the islands are additionally usually a great place for seeing completely different astronomical sights, equivalent to the Orion Nebula, the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.

When to go to the Outer Hebrides

Lights season in these islands runs from September to April, though the finest time to see the lights is throughout the Equinox and Solstice, so between March and April and September and October respectively.

Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

The second largest metropolis (by inhabitants) in Alaska, Fairbanks is located close to the centre of the state and is house to simply over 32,000 folks. Located on the same latitude to Iceland, circumstances listed here are good for viewing the lights: darkish skies, dry circumstances and an absence of sunshine air pollution.

One of the predominant advantages of Fairbanks (versus another places on the record) is the reality that you just don’t even have to depart the metropolis to see the lights, and as a serious settlement, all the mandatory facilities can be found alongside the many excursions on supply.

When to go to Fairbanks

The season right here lasts barely longer than typical, stretching from late August to April.

Finnish Lapland

While Rovaniemi has already been talked about on this record, there are such a lot of worthy locations in Finnish Lapland that the total space has to be beneficial. Levi is the largest ski resort in Finland however is much less crowded than different European resorts, and gives the probability to see the lights on snowmobiles or on reindeer-drawn sleighs. Harriniva is one other resort that provides related actions, with the Muonio River including one other scenic contact. Saariselka gives a special, village setting with wonderful spots for viewing the lights solely half a kilometre away.

When to go to Finnish Lapland

The official Finnish tourism web site states that the finest occasions to see the lights are in autumn and spring, at the starting and the finish of the season, with the season itself operating from mid-August till early April.

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