How to Predict the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are those magnificent ribbons of colour that dance across the skies in high northerly latitudes every winter. Their beauty is much coveted. Almost everybody dreams of catching a glimpse of the breathtaking phenomena. But how do you go about making sure that you see them and avoid taking a wasted trip abroad?
The Northern Lights are most frequently seen above the Arctic Circle in countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland and Canada, but they can sometimes be spotted further south of this. Occasionally, they may show up in the skies above Iceland, and sometimes even as far south as Scotland. But to be in with the best chance of witnessing them first hand, you really need to take a trip high into the Arctic realm.
The reason why the Aurora Borealis is more frequently sighted in the far north is because of the Earth's magnetic field. The particle emissions from the sun (known as the solar wind) interact with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere, causing the lights to appear. In the north, the magnetic field accelerates the solar wind towards the pole, thus creating a band of auroral activity.
There are countless holidays available that are tailored around seeing the Northern Lights. Many of them take travellers into the heart of the forested wilderness of countries like Sweden and Finland, where artificial light pollution from towns and cities is not an issue. Norway is also a favourite destination. In fact Tromso, known as the Arctic capital of Norway, has become a real hotspot for people going in search of the Aurora. There are cruises too, which sail along the coast of Norway, offering an even greater chance of spotting the Northern Lights.
How to predict the Northern Lights?
Starting with the sun's cycle, there are periods of maximum output every few years. This is attributable to the development of sunspots, which peaks on an 11-year cycle. At this peak, the solar wind becomes stronger and it interacts more intensely with the Earth's atmosphere. This causes the Northern Lights to appear brighter and more frequently. We are currently in one of these phases of high solar activity so there will be no better time than now to book a trip to the north.
There is also the 28-day prediction technique which you can try. This is based on the fact that the sun makes a full rotation on its axis every 28 days, which means that every 28 days a collection of sunspots will be aimed at the Earth. It is not a fail safe method, but it can be used as a guideline.
If truth be told, there is no definitive method on how to predict the Northern Lights, but you can definitely gain a good idea of when is best to go searching for them or when to book Northern Lights holidays. What is certain is that a trip to Scandinavia is almost never wasted. There is such beauty to be found in the pristine wildernesses of Norway, Sweden and Finland themselves, that an appearance from the Northern Lights is merely the icing on the cake.
But when is the best time to travel?
So we've determined that this winter is a good time to see the Aurora. But exactly when should you travel? The Northern Lights can be seen anytime between August and April, but activity is usually seen to increase in September and March. All you need is a clear, crisp and cloud-free night.
And what about the time of day?
They can show up as early as 8pm during the depths of winter and sometimes as late as 8am the next morning. For peak activity, however, you will want to be watching the skies from 11pm until 2pm.
The Northern Lights are most frequently seen above the Arctic Circle in countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland and Canada, but they can sometimes be spotted further south of this. Occasionally, they may show up in the skies above Iceland, and sometimes even as far south as Scotland. But to be in with the best chance of witnessing them first hand, you really need to take a trip high into the Arctic realm.
The reason why the Aurora Borealis is more frequently sighted in the far north is because of the Earth's magnetic field. The particle emissions from the sun (known as the solar wind) interact with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere, causing the lights to appear. In the north, the magnetic field accelerates the solar wind towards the pole, thus creating a band of auroral activity.
There are countless holidays available that are tailored around seeing the Northern Lights. Many of them take travellers into the heart of the forested wilderness of countries like Sweden and Finland, where artificial light pollution from towns and cities is not an issue. Norway is also a favourite destination. In fact Tromso, known as the Arctic capital of Norway, has become a real hotspot for people going in search of the Aurora. There are cruises too, which sail along the coast of Norway, offering an even greater chance of spotting the Northern Lights.
How to predict the Northern Lights?
Starting with the sun's cycle, there are periods of maximum output every few years. This is attributable to the development of sunspots, which peaks on an 11-year cycle. At this peak, the solar wind becomes stronger and it interacts more intensely with the Earth's atmosphere. This causes the Northern Lights to appear brighter and more frequently. We are currently in one of these phases of high solar activity so there will be no better time than now to book a trip to the north.
There is also the 28-day prediction technique which you can try. This is based on the fact that the sun makes a full rotation on its axis every 28 days, which means that every 28 days a collection of sunspots will be aimed at the Earth. It is not a fail safe method, but it can be used as a guideline.
If truth be told, there is no definitive method on how to predict the Northern Lights, but you can definitely gain a good idea of when is best to go searching for them or when to book Northern Lights holidays. What is certain is that a trip to Scandinavia is almost never wasted. There is such beauty to be found in the pristine wildernesses of Norway, Sweden and Finland themselves, that an appearance from the Northern Lights is merely the icing on the cake.
But when is the best time to travel?
So we've determined that this winter is a good time to see the Aurora. But exactly when should you travel? The Northern Lights can be seen anytime between August and April, but activity is usually seen to increase in September and March. All you need is a clear, crisp and cloud-free night.
And what about the time of day?
They can show up as early as 8pm during the depths of winter and sometimes as late as 8am the next morning. For peak activity, however, you will want to be watching the skies from 11pm until 2pm.
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