Watching Northern Lights
The Aurora Borealis is a wonderful phenomenon that is caused by the interaction of the particles of the sun and the atmosphere above the North Pole. The spectacular scene has become known to many people, and tours have been set up to bring people nearer to this phenomenon.
The Lights
There are electrically charged particles inherent in the skies coming from the sun, and with the speed in which they travel, the “Northern Lights” are formed. When the particles reach the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with the air particles, the colorful lights are formed from the gases. Oxygen brings about a yellow green color; nitrogen forms the color blue; and when oxygen mixes with nitrogen, the color red is formed.
Watching Northern Lights display from the sky is a breathtaking experience, as far as everyone who has seen it is able to express it in words.
Where to Go to See the Northern Lights
To many people, watching the Northern Lights would be an awesome fulfillment that they can never trade with anything else in the world. The Northern Lights can be seen from different places, and if you are dreaming of watching Northern Lights, then you can plan a trip to the following places:
- In Canada, Lake Superior in Ontario is the site for watching Northern Lights. To get there, you will have to take an hour-long snowmobile ride, but be sure to travel with an expert for your safety.
- Iceland is another place to see the Northern Lights. Reykjavik, an already spectacular city in itself, has become even more amazing because of the beauty that the Aurora Borealis provides. The Aurora Ovals are visible from Iceland, and this is where the Northern Lights are formed.
- Tromso in Norway is about 300 kilometers within the Arctic Circle and it is the best place to experience the Northern Lights when you are in Norway. The best time for watching Northern Lights would be in January, between six in the evening and one in the morning, especially since Tromso lies in complete darkness. January is also the time of the Northern Lights Festival.
Seeing the Northern Lights
If you are planning on watching the Northern Lights, here are some bits of information that you might need:
- The winter season is the best time to schedule your trip to see the Northern Lights. The lights are best seen when the skies are at its darkest and during the winter, the skies very, very dark.
- Norway is noted to be the best place to see the lights. It has been noted to have had the most views; and in fact, the lights can be seen almost every night.
- The best time of the day to witness the Aurora would be between 9PM to 1AM.
- The following countries provide a very scenic experience of the Aurora Borealis: Scotland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Greenland, Canada, and the Arctic Circle. In the United States, the lights are visible in Alaska.
