Our bold claim is that Northern Norway is amongst the most comfortable and interesting places to see the northern lights, as hundreds of thousands of people live in this huge geographical area. The region offers a vast selection of activities, tours, cruises, restaurants and hotels, which all play an important part in the Arctic experience. Check out the northern lights campaign offers.
To the locals in Northern Norway, the northern lights are a part of life and a fertile source for art, mythology, and legends. To others, like celebrity scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the phenomenon is an example of just how beautiful science can be.
Some media have reported that scientists expect the aurora lights to fade and appear less frequently over the next ten years. This is not true for Northern Norway, though, as scientist Truls Lynne Hansen at the Tromsø Geophysical Observatory explains: “It is true that we are past the northern lights climax which means there will be fewer observations around Oslo and further south. But under the auroral oval in Northern Norway we will not see any difference”.
What are the northern lights? On a very basic level the northern lights are quite simple to explain. The lights come at night when the sky is dark. It’s like a celestial ballet of light dancing across the night sky, with a colour palette (green, pink, violet) reminiscent of a really cool fashion show from the 1980s.
Between late September and late March, it is dark from early afternoon until late morning. This is the best time to see the northern lights. It is easy to get to Northern Norway and around.
Install the NorwayLights app for iPhone, Android or Windows – a forecast that helps you find the best time and place to see the northern lights.
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The science and myths behind the northern lights
The science behind the northern lights is usually explained by physics specialized in magneto hydrodynamics, and quite frankly, they are a lot smarter than us.
But this we understand: We have the sun to thank for everything, also the auroras. During large solar explosions and flares, huge quantities of particles are thrown out of the sun and into deep space.
Here’s where it gets a little complicated, but please bear with us: When the particles meet the Earth’s magnetic shield, they are led towards a circle around the magnetic North Pole, where they interact with the upper layers of the atmosphere. The energy which is then released is the northern lights. All this happens approximately 100 kilometres above our heads.
Perhaps not so surprisingly, the northern lights’ spectacle has given rise to several legends. Symbols linked to the northern lights are for instance found on the Sami shamanistic drum. The phenomenon has several different names in Sami, among them Guovssahas, which means “the light which can be heard”. Quite poetic, isn’t it?
And during the Viking Age, the northern lights were said to be the armour of the Valkyrie warrior virgins, shedding a strange flickering light. Oh, the vikings and their warrior virgins …
Explaining the northern lights
Interested in learning more about aurora’s origin? This video will explain the fascinating details behind the northern lights.
When and where? There’s no exact answer, but …
It is often said that the northern parts of Norway are the best places in the world to see the northern lights, as this part of the country lies just under the auroral oval. Well, if we’re honest that is only a partial truth, as the lights can be just as visible from destinations outside of Norway.
But our bold claim is that Northern Norway definitely is among the most comfortable and interesting places to see the lights, as hundreds of thousands of people live in this huge geographical area, offering a variety of hotels and activities to keep you busy.
The northern lights belt hits Northern Norway over the Lofoten Islands (although over the past years, aurora has been spotted increasingly more often over Trøndelag, further to the south), and follows the coast all the way up to the North Cape and beyond. One place in this area is often as good as another – you can observe the same northern lights in Lofoten as in Tromsø 500 kilometres further north, just from a different angle.
It’s important to remember that aurora can be a bit of a diva, and she will only start the show when she feels the time is right. Patience is a virtue, also when chasing the northern lights. But to maximize your chances of a sighting, know that the lights are at their most frequent in late autumn and winter/early spring.
Between late September and late March, it is dark in Northern Norway in the best northern lights hours, which is between 6pm and 1am.
However, remember how we told you about her being a diva? Aurora borealis likes it best when the weather is cold and dry, usually from December. Some will tell you that the driest weather, giving clear skies, is found inland, but that isn’t always true.
With strong eastern winds the coast can be clearer than inland areas. In order to get the best value from the show you should try and avoid the full moon – not because of werewolves, but because a bright moon make the experience considerably paler.
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