For this reason, late September to early November and February to early March are considered prime time for aurora hunting.įinally, being away from the artificial lights of a city will increase your chances of seeing a weaker display. Cloudy skies will ruin any hope you have of a sighting no matter the aurora’s strength. As the darkest months, December and January may seem ideal, but that time of year often brings with it the worst weather. Next, it must be dark, so sometime within September to April is essential. This donut-shaped ring around the Arctic gets bigger and moves southwards with stronger displays, but it’s most commonly located over the northern parts of Scandinavia, Alaska and the north of Canada. But while following this advice will increase your chances, it can never guarantee success.įirst and foremost, you should be as close as possible to the aurora oval in the northern hemisphere. There is plenty of universal advice for people wanting to experience a spectacular aurora borealis display. David Nikel How to see the northern lights Weak auroras often appear very pale, which can be a disappointment to some people expecting a vivid. Green-ranging from pale to vivid-is the most common color. The exact same aurora will look very different from different latitudes, for example.Īs for the different colors, they are caused by the intensity of the electron bombardment, which elements are being struck in our atmosphere, and the altitude of the reaction. What you see depends in part on your location. It can also behave in curious ways, from being almost completely still to pulsing or even leaping around. Pale light may appear as an arc, or it may be a much more intense color and appear as rays or the famous curtain-like effect. ![]() As a natural phenomenon, there is substantial variation between auroras. You may have seen sensational photography of the northern lights and thought, ‘do they really look like that?’ The answer is it depends. It’s the space weather equivalent of a surfer catching a big wave. This happens at both poles: the northern lights or aurora borealis in the north, and the southern lights or aurora australis in the south.Ī recent scientific study proved that these electrons ride along on Alfvén waves, which accelerate them to a sufficient rate to cause auroras. The resulting reactions cause a release of energy, which we perceive as light. The electrons travel along the magnetic field towards the poles, where the electrons meet hydrogen and oxygen.
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