What are the Northern Lights Aurora Borealis

Northern lights facts

when to see the northern lights

You could be in for a very special treat if you’re ever near the North or South Pole. There are also magnificent displays of light in the sky. They call these lights the auroras. When you’re near the North Pole, it’s called the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. It’s called the aurora borealis, or southern lights, if you’re near the south pole.

When the particles encounter the magnetic shield of the Planet, they are guided to an oval around the magnetic North Pole, where they communicate with the upper parts of the atmosphere, the ozone layers, oxygen, and other things that protect the Earth. Like northern lights, the energy that is then emitted is sent to us.

To learn that this success occurs about 100 kilometres above our heads adds to the charm. Its tremendous strength is the reason we can see it so clearly, as a multitude of atoms and molecules are supporting it.

But never take for granted the northern lights. It’s a natural phenomenon as much as the weather is. Its presence and strength are managed by the action of the sun and its position depends on the magnetic field of the earth.

In a belt, or an oval, the northern light emerges, and is positioned above the Earth in a normal position relative to the sun. During the night, the lights will typically be visible over mainland Northern Norway and over Svalbard during the day. The northern lights can also be seen further south in Norway as solar activity rises.

What is Northern Lights?

Far from a new phenomenon, Aurora borealis is. Early storytellers described the spectacle of the northern lights and gave rise to many legends. For example, on the Sami shamanist drum, symbols linked to the northern lights are found. In Sami, the phenomenon has many different names, including Guovssahas, meaning the light that can be heard. In motion, it’s poetry.

The northern lights were said to be the armour of the Valkyrie warrior virgins during the Viking Period, shedding an unusual flickering light. Today, locals also refer politely to the green lady in the northern lights. In the various images and films of the lights shared on social media, just check the colors. In real life, you could see many more nuances though.

The best locations in the world to see the northern lights are also said to be the northern parts of Norway, since this part of the country lies just below the auroral oval. Well if we’re honest, that’s just a partial reality, as the lights from destinations outside Norway can be just as obvious.

But our bold claim is that Northern Norway is certainly one of the most comfortable and fascinating places to see the lights, offering a variety of hotels and activities to keep you occupied, as hundreds of thousands of people live in this massive geographical area. The belt of northern lights reaches Northern Norway above the Lofoten Islands (although the aurora has been seen more and more regularly over Trondelag further south in recent years), and follows the coast all the way up to and beyond the North Cape. You will see the same northern lights in Lofoten as in Tromso 500 kilometres further north, but from a different perspective. One location in this region is always as good as another.

It is important to note that the aurora can be a little bit of a diva, and only when she thinks the time is right will she start the show. Even when chasing the northern lights, persistence is a virtue. But know that the lights are at their most frequent in late autumn and winter or early spring from September to late March, during the hours from 6 pm to 1 am to maximize your chances of a sighting.