Northern Lights

Where to See The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, otherwise known as the aurora borealis, are a naturally occurring display of lights seen in the sky in the most northern, high latitude areas of the earth.  They can be seen in a small number of different countries.

They take place in regions that are known as auroral zones, which, from space, look like loops.  Typically these fall over a few specific locations: Greenland, Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada.  Nevertheless, they do tend to change in relation to the amount of solar activity, either widening their scope or heading in a southern direction.  This means they can even be seen, albeit rarely, in Scotland.

For the best view of the Northern Lights, the atmospheric conditions need to be as clear as possible.  It also helps when there is more solar activity, which means that the spring or autumn is considered to be the best time to make the trip.

It is possible to take trips to any one of the areas and see the lights, with some places even offering wake up calls if they occur.  Travellers can also take advantage of the time away to take part in other activities that they can enjoy even if the lights cannot be seen.  An example of this is whale watching, which is not only an out of this world experience, but places holidaymakers in a great location for a sighting of the intensive aurora should they occur.