The best is to travel to Lapland in Finland, Spitsbergen in Norway, or Canada's Yukon Territory.

This phenomenon is at the top of the bucket list for many people. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in the world. The best time to see the Northern Lights is during the winter months when the nights are longest and the skies are clearest.

It is best to travel to areas with little light pollution, such as Lapland in Finland, Spitsbergen in Norway, or Canada's Yukon Territory. It is advisable to book a trip with a guide who knows where and when the Northern Lights can best be seen, and to spend the night in a place where there is little light pollution.

The northern lights can be seen less often in the Netherlands than in areas closer to the Arctic Circle. This is because the chance of seeing the Northern Lights depends on the sun's activity and the state of Earth's magnetic fields. When these factors are favorable, it is possible to see the Northern Lights in the Netherlands, but this is not often the case.

(Text continues below the photo)
Photo: Pitane Blue - aurora borealis, also called northern lights or polar lights.

Many people think that winter is the best time to see the Northern Lights. Yet this is not quite correct. The best months to see it is the period from September to March. Most Northern Lights tours are organized between October and February. September and March are just outside this range, but are actually the best periods. The first because of the autumn colors during the day and the last because of the longer days and usually more stable weather during the day. In both months it is dark enough at night to see the Aurora Borealis.

locations

The further north the better. In Norway, the best places to visit are Alta, Tromsø and Lofoten. If you travel to Iceland, Reykjavik, Akureyri and Myvatn are recommended and the most popular destinations. In Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi, Ivalo and Ylläs are on the list of favorite destinations. Lapland is not a country, by the way, but the cultural region of the nomad people the Sami, who live in the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. 

If you are a fan of Swedish Lapland, you can go to Abisko, Kiruna and Luleå. In fact, the chance of seeing the Northern Lights there is so high that at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, they guarantee that you will see it at least once every three days during the Northern Lights season. Those who want to go the other way can travel to Canada and visit the Whitehorse, Yellowknife or the Canadian Rockies. The Great White North, as Canada is also known, may be a distant destination, but it is well worth the trip. The chance that you will not see the light here is almost zero.

northern Lights

The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a natural light show that can often be seen near the Arctic Circle. For many photographers, both amateur and professional, it is one of the most beautiful things to capture. It is created when particles from the sun, such as protons and electrons, collide with particles in the Earth's atmosphere. This collision causes a reaction that leads to the emission of light in the form of a green, pink or purple glow. The color and intensity of the Northern Lights varies depending on the type and amount of particles and the state of Earth's magnetic fields.

Related articles:
An adventurous night, surrounded by snow and ice. Sleep in an Aurora Dome
Train newspaper
Print Friendly, PDF & Email