When and where do I have the highest chance of seeing auroras?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 26 Jul, 2023
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None of this suggests where you should go, but hopefully help your chances once you have picked somewhere.
So earlier this year I was in Tromsø, and I got talking to a professionalism northern lights photographer who lives up there, on the flight from Oslo. He had some useful tips for trying to view them.
Obviously going at short notice is best so you can get the best solar conditions but flight prices often make that unrealistic.
If your just picking a date and hoping try to go as close to a new moon as possible the less light pollution the easier they will be to see.
Having a car certainly helps so you can pick where you want to go for scenery and or because you need to escape weather. It also gives you the option to stay out all night (make sure you have suitable supplies).
A lot of tour sites said the northern lights in Norway peak between 6pm and midnight – he told us this was not true (first time we saw them was 3am) .
If its cloudy keep driving into the wind (if you can) until you can see stars. Stop. Wait (we drove halfway to Russia). Also local weather maps should show cloud cover and projections for the next 24 hours.
The northern lights aren’t always in the north, this I knew but a lot of people don’t seem to.
If you’re photographing them with a DSLR, your camera will likely pick them up before your eye does (If you want further information ask question on photographing the northern light).
There’s a new article on CNN Travel today:
5 places to see the brightest Aurora displays:
There’s still a chance to catch the most magnificent Northern Lights in years
It cites Tromsø, Norway, Yellowknife, Canada, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and (cough) the Southern Hemisphere.
I recently did a volunteering project in Iceland and I would say that the highest chance to see Aurora Borealis would be at Westfjords, Iceland (Mostly in winter and sometimes in Fall/Autumn or Spring).
I was in Iceland for a weekend in March and although we did see the Northern Lights, they were quite dim and not that spectacular.
The guide did say that only a few days earlier they had a really good one.
Wherever you go, try to allow a number of nights to get out and see them as you may not get lucky on your first try.
I’ve just been in Rovaniemi, Finland a couple of weeks ago. It’s currently impossible to see the aurora as the 24-hour day is in place; obviously you need a dark sky to see it.
However, Rovaniemi is just by the Arctic circle, is easy to get to (fly or train from Helsinki overnight), and is also the home of Santa Claus!
I stayed at the Borealis Guesthouse, which should give you a clue as to what is visible from there 🙂
Best times are when it’s dark (obviously), so when there’s a new moon is your best bet – the least light in the sky. Check that first for dates.
Secondly, if you have the ability to book last minute, you can sign up on twitter for Aurora storm alerts. However this is infeasible for most, given flight costs and so on.
Rovaniemi claims to see the auroras most nights, although of course it’s totally weather and solar activity dependent – you can never guarantee it.
ONE MORE option however, does practically guarantee sightings. Kangerlussuaq in Greenland offers a 99% chance of seeing auroras between November and March, due to its very stable weather conditions. It’s where I’m planning on going next year.
Good luck!
My friends, boyfriend and I are talking about going to Yellowknife, Canada. My friend’s boyfriend has been there and said it was amazing.
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