Aurora Borealis or also known as northern lights, are something most people have on their bucket list, but what do you need to think about, before actually going to see them?
Where and when is it possible to see northern lights?
It is basically the easiest to see northern lights in the nordic countries, like Canada, Alaska (USA), Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Greenland (Denmark) and like in my case Finland.
Important to know, the further north you go, the higher the chance of seeing it. In Helsinki, the chance is quite low, but when being in Lapland, the chance will increase a lot.
Technically it is possible to see the northern lights from August until April, but the chances at the beginning and the end of the season is low. For this the conditions need to be perfect. Perfect conditions is a clear sky, without any clouds and it needs to be dark.
Better is to go in the middle of the season, December, January, when the nights are dark for a really long time. In this time, the chances are just higher, then for example in September, to see it. At that time, the issue is that it will be really cold.
What to expect?
I am writing about the time, when visiting the high north in December, for example.
- Take warm clothes with you, you will freeze!
- Expect a long night as you want to get the most of your experience!
- It is possible that you are unlucky with the clouds, and not seeing them!
- With a camera, which can do longtime exposure pictures, you will be able to see the lights better, then with the normal eye!
- Your days will be with less light, even though in my experience it was not bad!
- The countries where you will see them are not cheap!
My experience
When I visited Ivalo, in Lapland, the northern part of Finland, I was very excited to finally see the northern light. While visiting in the middle of December, it was cold. With temperatures between -10 and -20 celsius, warm clothes were important. Also it can happen in different places, to have temperatures way colder than that!
The days went by quickly and besides walking around and going to the city, there was not much to do, the motivation was also not quite there, due to the cold.
Basically waiting until the night started. I was super hyped, not as my travel partner I suppose, because I was outside the whole night. Just walking inside, before freezing to death. Always checking, if maybe it is possible to see them.
During the whole trip, there were not so many northern lights in the sky visible, but during the five days in the north, we got lucky at least a few times.
Seeing a weak green and a great orange, it was worth going. Some days it was not possible to see anything, for the whole night, because the clouds were too strong and we just didn’t have a chance.
For sure, about this need to be written another proper article to explain the experience more, this is only for what basically to expect.
Summary
Aurora Bolealis are worth seeing and holding out in the cold temperature of the winter in the north. It is worth a trip and some suffering. Still it is not always possible to see them, it has always to do with some luck.
With apps, which help you to tell when the best possibility of seeing is, can help a lot. At least they can help, by maybe not running out every hour, to see, if it is possible to see.
Before going to see the northern lights, you just need to know, that there is just no guarantee and that you are going to freeze, when you are going to the high north. For that, the right clothes are important and sleepless nights.
For me it was that I lost all my feeling of being tired, by seeing the northern lights, so it should be fine!
I would love to hear your experiences about this place, or questions. Share it with me in the comments.
Finland Stories: Aurora Borealis – Ivalo, what to expect?
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