Northern Lights Tours

The Northern Lights or aurora borealis is a natural phenomenon that people should see at least once in their lifetime. Going on Northern Lights tours is a fantastic way to spend your vacation and it is something you are bound to remember forever.

And here’s another reason to see the Northern Lights: NASA has predicted that 2011 and 2012 will have the strongest Northern Lights activities in 50 years. So, why not plan your tour within this period? This would be a great holiday for the entire family or with a special someone. You can visit Alaska, or you can go to Russia, Canada or Scandinavia to see the beautiful Northern Lights display. There are affordable and luxurious packages you can avail of, too, and you can do the booking yourself or hire a travel agent to take care of the arrangements.  

Understanding the Northern Lights Phenomenon

The Northern Lights are also known as aurora borealis. When particles of energy from the sun collide with the magnetic field of the Earth, the Northern Lights are created. The color depends on the kind of atom present in the atmosphere. They form at about 60 miles or 100 kilometers above the Earth, and they are visible up to a distance of 260 miles or 400 kilometers. The Northern Lights can only be seen in the northern hemisphere and appear only on the northern part of the sky. The most common colors of these lights are green, yellow, and blue.

The Best Time to Watch

Perfect timing is essential for Northern Lights tours. Northern Lights are best seen on clear and cold winter nights. When there are no city lights around, its colors become even more vivid. The best months for watching are March, April, September, and October. The lights usually appear late at night until the wee hours of the morning but since these lights are hard to predict, most people head out at 10PM and stay until 4AM. It has been said that in the next decade, the Northern Lights will be occurring more frequently. In Luosto, Finland, you have 100% chance of seeing the Northern Lights every night from January to February. 

Where Can You See Northern Lights?

There are several places you can go to if you want to see the Northern Lights. These places have tour packages to make the trip convenient. These ideal locations allow you to see the lights with your naked eye; however, you can also use a telescope or binoculars to get a much clearer view.

  • Alaska: Fairbanks, Alaska is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. There are Northern Lights tours that you can avail of, and their packages usually include accommodation and daytime activities like dog sledding. There is an 80% probability of seeing the aurora borealis if you stay there for three consecutive nights. You may also view the lights in Denali, Nome, and Anchorage.
  • Sweden: Lapland offers fantastic tours for those who wish to see the Northern Lights.
  • Norway: It’s been said that you can see the Northern Lights all over the country when you are in Norway but you get the best seats when you go to the cities in the North.

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