Natural phenomena always present a surreal portrayal of the earth in all its splendor and if you are fascinated by all things bright and starry, watching the Northern Lights should be a must in your bucket list!
WHAT?
The earth’s atmosphere interacting with electrically charged particles from the sun cause the phenomenon of Northern lights or Aurora Borealis.
However, there also exists the same phenomenon centered around the southern magnetic pole which is referred to as Southern Lights or Aurora Australias.
Auroras normally occur in a band known as auroral zone and there exist separate auroral zones for occurrence of the Northern and the Southern lights.
More than the science that goes into the explanation of these majestic lights, it’s the surreality of the shining beauty that have lend the auroras a distinct identity as a charming hamlet.
WHERE?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the auroral zone runs along the northern coast of Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland, the southern tip of Greenland and northern Canada and Alaska.
In the Southern hemisphere, auroral zone is mainly concentrated over Antarctica or the Southern Ocean.
SIGHTINGS
Denmark: The remote Norwegian sea islands will give you a spectacular view of the Northern Lights in a variety of colours with Green being the most prominent.
Scotland: An aurora with arcs in different shades of green is indeed a spectacular lights offering in Scotland.
Greenland: Northern Lights are present all year over Greenland but aren’t visible during summer’s midnight sun. Therefore, the time between November- March is the best for sighting aurora in Greenland.
Finland: Aurora Borealis with green and purple hues are observed in the Northern Finland town of Rovaniemi.
Sweden: Swedish Lapland’s Aurora Borealis are best observed from the Ice Hotel with green being the most common sighting.
Canada: Yellowknife in Canada has its own aurora village for spectacular auroral sightings. Northern latitude and low light pollution makes Canada an aurora viewing paradise, with 90% chance of viewings.
For Southern lights, Tasmania in Australia, and New Zealand as also Antarctica are the most probable places for an auroral sighting owing to the presence of a mostly dark sky. Rare sightings may also occur in southern Argentina or the Falklands.
WHEN?
Most of the locations of Northern lights are obviously located at high latitudes which means that there isn’t much darkness in these regions from mid March to Mid August. Hence, the Borealis can most commonly be observed from late November to March, mostly between 6pm- 4am.
Also, Northern Lights are much easier to sight than the same phenomenon in the Southern hemisphere.
