If you like traveling, you should make plans to visit a location where you may see the northern lights, one of the planet’s most breathtaking natural occurrences, at some point in your life. However, if you haven’t previously scheduled a time to visit them, this year could be your last opportunity to do so for the next ten years. The northern lights will start to disappear in 2017 and won’t be as noticeable until 2024 or 2026.
What precisely are the lights in the north?
Solar winds force electrons into Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The electrons get more energetic as dusk approaches, which causes them to smash with atoms of nitrogen and oxygen and impart energy to them. The excess energy is then released as light as the atoms return to their previous, lower-energy state. In locations near the Earth’s magnetic poles (between 60 and 75 degrees latitude), this light is concentrated around those poles.
The sun has an 11-year cycle in which it emits electrons vigorously for a portion of the cycle and then enters a dormant phase during which it emits less electrons. The sun will enter its inactive phase after this year, making it harder to anticipate when the northern lights will arrive and making them visible only seldom.
Where are the ideal locations to see them?
The midnight sun in the summer in northern latitudes blocks our view of the northern lights as they can only be seen at night. This year’s autumn and winter so represent the ideal seasons for travel planning. Regarding locations, these are regarded as some of the top spots to see the lights:
In addition to being a great spot to observe the northern lights, Fairbanks, Alaska is home to hot springs where you may relax while taking in the starry sky. August through May is the greatest time of year to enjoy the lights in Fairbanks. In the meanwhile, Tromsø, Norway has a nine-day Northern Lights Festival in January that features dancing and musical events at night beneath the lights. In Finland, you may enjoy a traditional sauna or go ice fishing during the day, or you can take a reindeer-drawn sleigh ride at night to view the lights. There is a structure in the northern Canadian city of Churchill with a glass roof and windows that allow you to glimpse polar bears and see the lights. The lights at the Callanish Standing Stones in Northern Scotland, which are estimated to be about 5,000 years old, would be of interest to history buffs. Finally, Iceland offers stunning views and unspoiled environment (mountains, glaciers, hot springs, waterfalls, and more) making it a terrific place to visit.
