{"id":60,"date":"2020-06-14T12:40:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-14T12:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/?p=60"},"modified":"2020-06-14T12:49:30","modified_gmt":"2020-06-14T12:49:30","slug":"northern-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/travel-guide\/northern-lights.html","title":{"rendered":"Northern lights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Northern lights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The northern lights, one of several astronomical phenomena called polar lights (aurora polaris), are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polar lights (aurora polaris<\/em>) are a natural phenomenon found in both the northern and southern hemispheres that can be truly awe inspiring. Northern lights are also called by their scientific name, aurora borealis<\/em>, and southern lights are called aurora australis<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origin of the aurora begins on the surface of the sun when solar activity ejects a cloud of gas. Scientists call this a coronal mass ejection (CME). If one of these reaches earth, taking about 2 to 3 days, it collides with the Earth\u2019s magnetic field. This field is invisible, and if you could see its shape, it would make Earth look like a comet with a long magnetic \u2018tail\u2019 stretching a million miles behind Earth in the opposite direction of the sun.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a coronal mass ejection collides with the magnetic field, it causes complex changes to happen to the magnetic tail region. These changes generate currents of charged particles, which then flow along lines of magnetic force into the Polar Regions. These particles are boosted in energy in Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere, and when they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, they produce dazzling auroral light.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I see them anywhere?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, although they are more frequent at higher latitudes and places like Alaska, Canada, and Antarctica, closer to the Earth\u2019s poles.  Occasionally, they have been seen closer to the equator, and even as far  south as Mexico. To view them, look in the direction of the closest pole (the northern horizon in the northern hemisphere, the southern horizon in the southern hemisphere).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I see them at any time of the year?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes. In some areas, such as Alaska or Greenland, they may be visible most nights of the year. And they occur at any time of the day, but we can\u2019t see them with the naked eye unless it\u2019s dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What causes the colors and patterns?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Colors and patterns are from the types of ions or atoms being energized as they collide with the atmosphere and are affected by lines of magnetic force. Displays may take many forms, including rippling curtains, pulsating globs, traveling pulses, or steady glows. Altitude affects the colors. Blue violet\/reds occur below 60 miles (100 km), with bright green strongest between 60-150 miles (100-240 km). Above 150 miles (240 km) ruby reds appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magical Places to View Northern Lights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iceland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even without the northern lights,\u00a0Iceland\u00a0is an otherworldly place to visit, with glaciers, geysers, massive waterfalls, and volcanoes. Both the latitude and longitude of the country favor aurora viewing, but the weather doesn\u2019t always cooperate. However, a good coastline road around the country lets you chase clear skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have seen my best auroras from\u00a0Kirkjufell\u00a0mountain on the west coast. In high activity you can even spy the northern lights from the suburbs of Reykjav\u00edk; the Grotta Lighthouse is a popular viewing spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the country, sky watchers can take in the dancing lights from outdoor hot tubs, inside\u00a0Buubble lodges,\u00a0and from hot spring lagoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go:<\/strong>\u00a0Late August to early April<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairbanks, Alaska<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located just two degrees below the Arctic near international airport and close to the impressive\u00a0Denali National Park, Fairbanks is the best place in the U.S. to take in the northern lights. It even has its own\u00a0forecast system\u00a0and offers\u00a0tours\u00a0to take visitors far from city lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go:<\/strong>\u00a0Late August to mid-April<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yellowknife, Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Northwest Territories capital on the shores of Great Slave Lake boasts its own\u00a0Aurora Village\u00a0and special activities for northern lights tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada\u00a0is an aurora viewing paradise, thanks to its northern latitude and low light pollution; elsewhere in the country,\u00a0Wood Buffalo\u00a0and\u00a0Jasper National Park\u00a0are popular viewing spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go:<\/strong>\u00a0Mid-August to late April. For Churchill and Wood Buffalo, early August to early May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troms\u00f8, Norway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest urban area in northern\u00a0Norway\u00a0is 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle, but thanks to the Gulf Stream the coastline has surprisingly moderate temperatures. It also has beautiful scenery, magnificent fjords, and the\u00a0Lyngen Alps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have seen spectacular auroras from the village of Ersfjordbotn, 12 miles from Troms\u00f8. Other popular locations in the country are the\u00a0Lofoten Islands\u00a0and the far northern towns of Alta, Nordkapp, and Kirkenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go:<\/strong>\u00a0Mid-September to late March<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern Sweden and Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden\u2019s northernmost town of Kiruna is a gateway for nearby attractions. There is the\u00a0ICEHOTEL,\u00a0mountainous\u00a0Abisko National Park, the local\u00a0Sami culture, and plentiful reindeer. A short drive from the town takes you to a good spot for aurora viewing. The weather here is much more stable than the Norwegian coast, but it\u2019s colder too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\u00a0Finland\u2019s\u00a0Lapland region, Rovaniemi serves as a gateway town to\u00a0nearby national parks\u2014where in winter you can spot frozen snow-covered trees called Tykky sculptures along with the northern lights.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go<\/strong>: Mid-September to late March<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s possible to be too far north to see the northern lights\u2014such is the case in northern\u00a0Greenland. But head farther south for beautiful auroras and attractions like\u00a0Qaleraliq Glacier, which has small floating icebergs even in summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go<\/strong>: Mid-August to late April in the south and late August to mid-April in Nuuk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tasmania and New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You hear about northern lights more often than southern lights (aurora australis) because there are fewer locations to see auroras from the Southern Hemisphere. Your best chance is on the southern tip of both Tasmania (Australia) and\u00a0New Zealand, where a dark sky will help you see any active auroras over the southern horizon. These are the closest accessible places to the south magnetic pole, outside of Antarctica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Go<\/strong>: Year round, but your best chances are near equinoxes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Northern lights The northern lights, one of several astronomical phenomena called polar lights (aurora polaris), are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky. Polar lights (aurora polaris) are a natural phenomenon found in both the northern and southern hemispheres that can be truly awe inspiring. Northern lights are also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63,"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions\/63"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wonderearthtour.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}