Northern Lights Destinations: 10 Places to See the Aurora Borealis

The northern lights shine brightest in a ring around the Arctic, the auroral zone centred near 67° north. Put yourself under that ring between late August and early April, add a dark, clear night and your chances are good. These ten places, from Alaska to Ireland, are among the best bases for seeing the aurora borealis.

What causes the northern lights

Auroras form when charged particles from the Sun, carried by the solar wind, collide with oxygen and nitrogen high in Earth's atmosphere. The familiar green comes from oxygen; red, pink and purple edges appear in stronger displays. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center explains that the best viewing lies under the auroral oval, roughly between 60° and 75° latitude, where aurora appears on more than half of all nights. After a big solar eruption the oval expands south, and the lights can reach Ireland or even further.

Fairbanks, Yellowknife and Churchill: North America

1. Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. About 315 km south of the Arctic Circle by road, Fairbanks is America's classic aurora base, with displays on more than 200 nights a year near the city. Explore Fairbanks gives the season as 21 August to 21 April. January averages about −22 °C, so dress for real cold.

2. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The territorial capital sits at 62° N on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, right under the auroral oval, and calls itself the aurora capital of North America. Northwest Territories Tourism describes two viewing seasons: mid-August to September, when the lights reflect in open lakes, and mid-November to early April over snow. Air Canada and WestJet fly in.

3. Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. This town of about 870 people on Hudson Bay is reached only by train or plane. It is famous for polar bears in October and November, and Travel Manitoba lists an aurora season from August to April, peaking from January to March.

Tromsø, Lofoten, Abisko and Finnish Lapland

4. Tromsø, Norway. Tromsø offers restaurants, museums and dozens of evening tours. Visit Tromsø says the lights can be seen from late August to early April whenever the sky is dark, with organised tours from September. Coastal weather changes fast, so choose a tour that can drive inland in search of clear skies.

5. Lofoten, Norway. Sharp peaks, fishing villages and beaches give aurora photographers the best foregrounds in Europe. Visit Lofoten gives a season from late August to mid-April. Scout your spot in daylight. For a very personal Lofoten aurora story, read Dale and Karlie’s Northern Lights Proposal in Lofoten.

6. Abisko and Kiruna, Sweden. Abisko is a tiny village about 195 km north of the Arctic Circle on Lake Torneträsk, beside Abisko National Park (1909). The Scandinavian Mountains cast a rain shadow, making Abisko one of the driest places in Sweden, and a chairlift climbs Mount Nuolja to the Aurora Sky Station, as Swedish Lapland explains. Daily trains between Stockholm and Narvik stop in the village, and the E10 road links Kiruna, the municipal seat, with Narvik.

7. Saariselkä and Finnish Lapland. The Finnish Meteorological Institute names Lapland the country's best viewing region and points to March and early April as a good time when weather is considered. Saariselkä, Europe's northernmost ski resort, borders Urho Kekkonen National Park. Nearby Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is famous for its glass igloos, which let you watch the sky from bed. See also Joni Niemelä’s Finnish Night Sky: Moonlight, Reflections and Star Trails.

Iceland, Greenland and Ireland

8. Reykjavík, Iceland. Iceland's capital is an easy base for aurora tours into the dark countryside. The Icelandic Met Office aurora forecast shows cloud cover alongside activity, and clear sky matters most. Pull over only at proper parking spots. For inspiration, watch Iceland Aurora Films: Northern Lights from Sixty Locations.

9. Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Greenland's main airport hub has the country's longest civilian runway and the only road to the edge of the ice sheet. Visit Greenland gives an aurora season from late August to April, with guided outings from Kangerlussuaq.

10. Malin Head, County Donegal, Ireland. Ireland's most northerly point, on the Inishowen peninsula, is a spot for catching the aurora during strong geomagnetic storms, according to Discover Ireland. Scenes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi were filmed on its cliffs. Come for the coast and treat the lights as a bonus.

More aurora places and viewing tips

The lights also dance over Salekhard, on the Arctic Circle in Russia, and over Tórshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands.

• Darkness: from May to early August the far north has too much daylight, even when the aurora is active.
• Clear skies: check the cloud forecast for your viewing spot, not just the nearest city.
• Activity: watch the Kp index; a high number means the oval is expanding south.
• Time: stay at least three or four nights, and let your eyes adapt to the dark for 20–30 minutes.

For a famous fleeting shape in the sky, see A Wolf-Shaped Aurora: Marja-Terttu Karlsson’s Remarkable Photograph.

Related reading

• Dale and Karlie’s Northern Lights Proposal in Lofoten
• Joni Niemelä’s Finnish Night Sky: Moonlight, Reflections and Star Trails
• Iceland Aurora Films: Northern Lights from Sixty Locations
• A Wolf-Shaped Aurora: Marja-Terttu Karlsson’s Remarkable Photograph

Sources