“For a second, let your mind swim in imagination. You’re in Norway; in the northern hemisphere. It’s cold and dark with a soundlessness aura around you. On the spur of the moment, you see green, red, yellow and violet lights dancing in jaunty bloom. A muted yet soothing dance. The northern hemisphere surely offers the aurora a dancing floor! No one can ever ignore such a hypnotically pleasing field of vision. Can you? Oh no, you can’t! Well, welcome to the tiny world of aurora borealis; The northern lighting Norway!”
What are the northern lights?
What’s all the hype about? A physical phenomenon due to collision between electrically charged particles of the sun and gaseous atoms of the Earth’s atmosphere? Did the Science logic just hover over your head? It’s not just science, my hodophilia friends, it’s aurora borealis. The name has it all! These are called Aurora owing to the literal meaning ‘dawn’. The awe-inspiring northern lighting Norway aka Aurora borealis is one spectacular miracle worth seeing. Multiple colored rays of light apparently seeming to descend from space can make anyone bowl over. The type of collision we humans are thankful for, eh?
Let me get a little nerdy here, basically, the earth’s magnetic field governs the particles towards the north and south pole and it is quite obvious now that why these are seen only in Norway. The Aurora borealis can be of various colors which definitely marks the artistry of the northern lights. The color spectrum is fixed on two things:
- The type of gaseous atoms with which the solar iotas collide.
- The altitude at which such a collision takes place.
- More than 150 kilometers: Red light
- 120 km – 150 kilometers: Yellow-green light
- Less than 120 kilometers: Blue-purple light
Borealis and Australis sisters!
Into the bargain, Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) has a sister namely Aurora Australis (Southern lights). The Aurora Australis is viewed over the southern latitudes in Antarctica, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia. Cool, huh?
Is northern lighting Norway dangerous?
Apart from the positives, there lies a little bit of negativity. Although the northern lights pose no threat to human eyes but surely do cause disturbances in technology and cables. They affect radio waves which account for disrupted communication.
FORMS|EDITIONS:
Did you know that the northern lighting norway have various beauty editions? Following are the four main forms on the basis of their visibility.
- A mellow glow which can be espied along the horizon.
- Simple patches which bear resemblance with clouds.
- In the shape of arcs which swing across the dark sky infatuated with bead-like glowing stars.
- Coronal aurora, which crop up as stripes and cover much of the sky.
“The northern lights surely are a great excuse to stay out all night!”
AURORA HUNT:
It’s not that you would step into Norway and get a load of the northern lightning Norway. There are places and times you need to muse-over before you pack up your baggies and head to the Northern Hemisphere! Seeing the Aurora is more like a ‘aurora hunt’ which requires time precision. Quite possibly, too many questions must have popped up in your head like
Where can I see the northern lights?
What is the best month to see Northern Lights in Norway?
How often are these lights visible?
Where is the best place to see the northern lighting Norway?
Don’t you worry! This article has got your back.
Now, these lights are seen in the polar regions in the confines of radius exactly about 2500km around the north and south poles. This magical expanse is denominated as ‘The auroral zone or the auroral oval. These zones or bonds take the place of the night side of the earth. More towards the north, easier it shall be. Take Iceland for instance, it being below the Arctic Circle accounts for difficult or no northern lightning. Go north; go to Norway!
In essence, the following are the best places to see northern lighting Norway:
- Lyngenfjord
- Tromso
- Senja
- Alta
- Vesteralen islands
- Svalbard
- Helge land
1. LYNGENFJORD | NATURALLY EXCITING:
First up on the red carpet is Lyngenfjord, a place surrounded by blue glaciers. Most of the photographs you see on the internet come from this enchanting place. A dry place, with a comprehensible and see-through sky, makes it stand out when it comes to the Northern Lights. This village area has some great show virtue of the fact that one can spot the aurora above the mountain tops. How amazing is that! Nature surely does amaze. Additionally, Lyngenfjord is famous for skiing. Aurora and skiing? GET ME MY BACKPACK!! You can travel to Lyngenfjord by car, express boat, plane, and bus.
2. TROMSO | ARTIC CAPITAL | EASY TOURING:
Tromso never fails to equip its place when it comes to the best places to see the Northern lights in Norway. Sit back and relax because Tromso is well developed, allows cheap flights and has bountiful tour offers. This amazing place is located at 69 degrees north and sits in the middle of the auroral oval/zone. It has a milder temperature due to the winds blowing from the gulf stream alongside it is home to multiple fun stuff that you can do other than blessing your eyes like dog sledding, giving visits to the reindeer farms and ancient Sami settlements. Tromso is a little out of luck solely for the reason that Aurora season here is shorter than others. Not just the aurora months but the hours of darkness also tend to be shorter in summers, henceforth, try sketching out your trip in-between September and April.
3. SENJA | NORWAY IN MINIATURE:
Senja is the second largest island in Norway and is referred to as ‘Norway in miniature’ on account of representing almost the entire Norwegian culture. It has a hilly and rocky outer side and an affable and flourishing inner side. How exotic is that! Acknowledge the fact that Senja is fairly new to tourism so it may not be able to fulfill all of your demands. Regardless of when you visit Senja, you’ll always be able to enjoy the panoramic view of the harbors as it is home to the Norwegian Sea to the northwest.
4. ALTA | CITY OF NORTHERN LIGHTS:
It is titled as the city of northern lights since the eye capture of the lights is accessible and easier. Same as the fortune of Tromso, Alta too has been endowed with warm air from the gulf stream. Alta has been perspicuously nicknamed as “The city of northern lights” so as the first observatory devoted to the studying of Norway’s northern lights was established here. The rock art of Alta is an exceptional sworn statement of the artic in prehistoric times. Therefore, these easy on the eye rock carvings are protected by the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. VESTERALEN ISLANDS | NORTHERN LIGHTS & WHALE CRUISE:
Vesteralen island is a district and archipelago in Norway. Vesteralen encompasses several islands, mountains, towns, villages, and a sundry of lakes. You shall experience the northern lighting Norway here as late as August. The archipelago of Vesteralen is copious in fishing culture. The adjoining waters of this island inhabit a handful of whale species, in particular, killer whales, sperm whales, and humpback whales so do consider going on a whale cruise alongside the grand northern lightning. Enlisted below are some go-to places in Vesterealen islands:
Nyksund, Øksnes
Uværshula”, Hadsel
Steiroheia, Sortland
Vinje, Bø
Kleivodden, Andøy
6. SVALBARD|UNIQUE AND IDEAL:
It is the only place where you can catch a glimpse of the northern Norway lights in the daytime! Amazing, huh? Concerning the location and climate, Svalbard is located north of the arctic circle, receiving cold polar air from the north and warm sea air from the south. On cold, and of course, clear days, the sky is remarkably illuminated by northern lights. You may come across mystical green light experienced by snowmobile, snow boat, and dogsled. Barefooted with snowshoes also hangs in one of your options. You need a clear sky, that’s an important prerequisite when it comes to your aurora hunt. Your chances are better further south in the case of Svalbard.
7. HELGELAND | LIGHT HUNT ON THE SEAS:
Ever heard of sea kayaking? Helge land is what comes to mind! It is located south of the arctic circle. This astonishing piece of land is bordered by Saltfjellet mountains and Svartisen glacier. Do you know what’s best about this place? It is an uncrowded winter destination. It is the right geographical place when it comes to northern lights. Aurora Hunt on the seas is one magical trip.
Can you see the northern lights in Oslo Norway?
Furthermore, I shall clear one ambiguity regarding Oslo and Northern Lights. One should know that low solar activity and heavy clouds render it difficult to see northern lights in Oslo, Norway. The arctic circle is present quite far from Oslo so consider it famous for its architecture.
Northern lights forecast setup:
One should know that these lights alongside their charming beauty are to the nth degree dependent upon the sun. You see! Lights and Sun, as plain as a pikestaff. Furthermore, strong solar winds tend to jack up the splendor of the Northern Lights in Norway. Neither are they visible all around the year nor do they appear every night. The best time lies between 5 pm-2 am. They are friends to minutes; 10-12 minutes is what you should keep in mind. You are lucky if they last for around 30 minutes and even more when you can see them for a few hours.
The yearly forecast is somewhat predictable, henceforth, I shall enlist down below the Aurora months. 😉
These months account to be perfect for the catch sight of the wondrous northern lightning. Even though aurorae occur throughout the year but the summer months tend to cause some difficulty, hence one has to focus on the other months. Your luck of seeing the northern lights depends upon hours of darkness, solar activity and weather with a clear sky.
January-March | Popular Squad:
These three are one popular month squad for they account for longer nights and colder domains. Among the three, January is slightly on top when it comes to coldness. Colder nights are aurorae’s favorite so take the hint! Approximately 20th march is the time of the equinox-time of greater solar activity thereby leading to easy sight catching of aurora. Over and above that, the weather improves which has a hand in lesser cloud cover. Popular, indeed!
April-August | Unpopular Squad:
Now, this is the time when the sky shines somewhat bright making itself an antagonist to the northern lights; the hours slacken down a little bit, greater chances of seeing the northern lights shall rest upon the solar storm if it happens, but the lakes, forests, landscapes of Norway bathed in strong daylight put up a remarkable show.
September-October |Ravishing Reflections:
These are the months when you can succeed in avoiding the extreme cold, also it’s the time when the lights show up simultaneous to the ice-free lakes. Over heading northern lightning with an amount backscattering on open water is what eyes need to see! By the same token, the last two weeks of September are blessed with an equinox so go and plan your trip with the highest solar activity.
November-December | More of Aurora:
November gives way to the major snow wave of winter. The snow breeds cloud cover, but shorter days and longer nights thereby increase aurora’s visibility time. Moreover, these months are home to gaieties like dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and reindeer pulled sleigh rides.
IS 2020 A GOOD YEAR TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?
Not really! I’ll start off with the fact that 2019/2020 were predominantly solar minimum years, while from 2020 onwards the years will escalate in solar activity thus the solar maximum years. Solar minimum and maximum are the two sides of the sun’s solar activity coin. According to NASA, 2020 shall be interpreted as the year of least solar activity in over 200 years while the escalation will occur in about 2023-2025.
Maybe grab your backpacks sometime later? Nah, some year later!