We’ve got the answers to all your questions about the aurora borealis.
It was a biting 10 degrees Fahrenheit the first night I saw the northern lights.
Were currently experiencing the roughly 11-year peak of aurora activity, known as solar maximum.
Northern lights over Iceland’s snowy landscape.Credit: jakkreethampitakkull/Getty Images
That meansnowis the time to plan that aurora-chasing adventure.
What are the northern lights?
It starts with activity on the sun.
Francesco Vaninetti Photo/Getty Images
Storms on the suns surface shoot enormous gusts of ions and electrons into space.
When these particles near Earth, they get trapped in our magnetosphere,according to NASA.
Those kaleidoscopic sky streaks travelers circle the globe to see.
Topi Ylä-Mononen/Getty Images
Colors of the aurora borealis, and the southern counterpart,aurora australis, trigger the gamut.
Red and green are my favorite because theyre the easiest to see with the naked eye.
Even moderate solar winds can create mild auroral displays,according to the NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center.
Roberto Moiola/Sysaworld/Getty Images
What is the best time of year to see the northern lights?
The northern lights are technically active year-round; whether or not youll see them depends on sunlight.
In northerly regions like Alaska and Iceland, the all-hours midnight sun obscures the show in the summer.
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Thats why the norths aurora season runs from around mid-August to mid-April, when theres adequate nighttime darkness.
Ive seen the ribbons multiple times during the summer on Michigans Keweenaw Peninsula.
And the perk of catching them here?
That said, aurora sightings are never guaranteed; you need the weather and lights activity to align.
What is the best time of day to see the northern lights?
This is just a rough guide, though, and not the rule of law.
Auroras can appear at any point in the night, especially following a powerful CME.
Ive even witnessed shows that ran from dusk to dawn.
Given the unpredictability of aurora sightings, I always follow a tried-and-true system to track potential activity.
Chasing the lights on your own can be daunting.
Thats why I always recommend hiring a local aurora-hunting guide.
How can I increase my odds of seeing the northern lights?
This will increase your odds of a sighting because the lights appear quite regularly here.
You also need clear, or at least partly clear, skies.
A good rule of thumb: If you might see stars, youcouldsee the aurora.
But, the lights have to be activethats something aurora apps like SpaceWeatherLive can help you with.
Try a red-light headlamp to stay safe and protect your night vision for the duration of your aurora hunt.
Where are the best places to see the northern lights?
For photography, though, I gravitate toward South Iceland.
It has a bounty of natural attractions, from the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon to Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanksis another fan favorite among lights chasers.
Tryice fishingbeneath the lights for a true taste of northern culture.
The geomagnetic north polewhich is not the same as thegeographicnorth poletilts in favor of northern Minnesota.
That makes northern Minnesotas patchwork of pines and lakes an exceptional aurora perch.
Try Visit Cook Countys curatednorthern lights road tripsfor all sorts of stop-offs with unobstructed views to the north.
