A Complete Guide to Seeing the Northern Lights

It’s hard for us to believe that summer has come to an end. While everyone back home is pulling out their boots and scarves and absorbing as much pumpkin spice as humanely possible, we’re gearing up for two months of summer-like sunshine in Central America. And though we’re trying not to complain, we can’t help but be a tad bittersweet that we are missing out on our favorite season of the year.

There’s clearly no denying though that Fall is here. And the start of the new season doesn’t just bring a crisp chill to the air and the changing colors of the leaves—it also means the start of the ideal time to glimpse the Northern Lights.

PHOTO: The Northern Lights dance across the night sky

The Northern Lights are off to quite the phenomenal start this year. Earlier this month the lights shone so brilliantly that people as far south as Boston even reported glimpsing streaks of purple and green across the night sky. So if seeing the Aurora Borealis has always been on your bucket list, why not make this the year to make it happen? Our complete guide below will fill you in on everything you need to know.

What Are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights occur when electrically charged solar particles stream towards the Earth along its magnetic field and collide at high speed with air particles. The air then lights up, the colors a reflection of the different gases in the atmosphere. The opportunity to see the Northern Lights so far south earlier this month was the result of two solar flares.

When To See the Northern Lights

The best time to see the Northern Lights is on a dark, clear night. This means that September through March tends to be the ideal time of year, though sometimes it’s possible to see the lights as late as April. The ability to see the lights decreases when the sky begins to get brighter in the spring and summer months.

The lights can appear—and then disappear—at any moment. Typically there are two waves throughout the night, one a bit earlier around 10 p.m. and one around or after midnight. If you are able to see the lights once, it is a good sign that you will be able to see them again later in the evening. Keep in mind though that these are not set rules and, like any natural occurrence, you never know with certainty when the lights will appear.

PHOTO: A midnight wave of Aurora

Where To See The Northern Lights

As the name suggests, the Northern Lights are typically seen at far-northern latitudes, typically centered within 2500km of the magnetic North Pole. A few of the more popular destinations to try to see the Aurora include:

Sweden: Our first glimpse of the Northern Lights occurred in Swedish Lapland during a cross-country skiing adventure with Aurora Retreat. Surrounded by nothing but snow and wilderness, we drank hot chocolate, sat on reindeer skins and watched as the Northern Lights slowly lit up the entire sky.

With no light pollution to diminish the effects, the show was nothing less than magical. It’s also possible to view the Aurora in the Swedish city of Kiruna, but the experience is much more memorable when paired with skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing in the pristine wilderness outside of the city.

PHOTO: Watching the Northern Lights

Norway: Norway is an extremely popular place to see the Northern Lights, in large part because of the accompanying beauty of the fjords. We recommend heading to the Lofoten Islands first—even if you don’t witness the Aurora, this paradise in the Arctic will leave you awestruck all the same. Tromso is another great place to consider; from here you can see the lights from Norway’s largest planetarium.

Finland: After our one-of-a-kind experience in Sweden, we ventured east to experience the unique attributes of Finnish Lapland. This included another opportunity to view the Northern Lights in conjunction with a dog sledding expedition with Harriniva Hotels and Safaris. For a particularly unique experience, you can splurge and stay at the Hotel and Igloo Village Kakslauttanen. The glass igloos allow you to see the Northern Lights from the comfort of your own warm bed—definitely an activity on our bucket list for when we return to the Arctic! The cities of Inari and Levi are the two most popular to base your stay.

PHOTO: Northern Lights over a wilderness teepee in Finland

Canada: The wonderful wilderness of Northern Canada also offers prime opportunities to witness the Aurora. Though we have yet to visit for ourselves, we have heard that the Yukon Territory is one of the best places for a winter adventure and lights sighting.

Finally, don’t forget that it is also possible to see the lights in destinations like Alaska, Greenland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark and even Russia!

What To Bring:

Warm clothes – This should go without saying if you’re traveling to the Arctic. Don’t forget things like thermals, insulated hats and mittens, and wool socks.

PHOTO: Huddling around the campfire for hot chocolate waiting for the Northern Lights

A DSLR Camera – Unfortunately your iPhone isn’t really going to cut it for ideal photos of the Northern Lights. You’ll need a camera with a shutter speed of at least 10 seconds; 30” is more ideal.

A Tripod - Keeping your camera still is crucial for capturing beautiful Northern Lights photos. Find a tall sturdy model that you can stick in the snow.

Extra Tips:

The Northern Lights are spectacularly stunning, but they likely aren’t going to look like all of the photos you’ve seen before. That’s simply because the human eye cannot pick up the same amount of light as a camera.

Your best bet of seeing the lights is on a dark and clear night. If you want to try to predict your chances of seeing the lights with a bit more certainty, we recommend using Aurora Forecast, which uses real-time solar wind data to estimate the strength of the Northern Lights.

Witnessing the Northern Lights is an experience that should be on every traveler’s bucket list. Have you seen the lights before?