Can i see northern lights tonight

In the Arctic, January is a time of renewal as the sun reappears above the horizon but it can be very, very cold indeed. Nevertheless, it is sometimes said that the Aurora is more likely to appear on colder nights so perhaps we could recommend January to hardier souls. Generally speaking, February sees the weather slowly improving and in March, the temperatures begin to rise although it can still get pretty nippy especially at night. A thick, pristine layer of snow covers the ground and, because most of the winter snow has fallen, it could be said that there are less snow clouds overhead to obscure the Aurora.

There is some speculation that the spring and autumn Equinoxes around 20 March and 20 September bring greater solar activity. Combine this with slightly warmer temperatures and improving weather with the possibility of less cloud cover and you may feel compelled to go Aurora hunting in late-March or very early April.

To see the Northern Lights you need dark skies and from early-April until late-August, the Aurora may be blazing across the Arctic firmament but it is visible only to scientific equipment, as the skies are just too light for the human eye to see the show. Having said that, there is so much to see and do in Northern Scandinavia that 24 hours of daylight is actually rather welcome.

From the fjords of Norway to the mountains of Sweden, from the lakes and forests of Finland to the countless geological features of Iceland, these landscapes are rarely better than when they are bathed in the 24 hour daylight of the summer months. These are the months we would recommend to anybody who prefers to avoid the extreme cold of an Arctic winter.

September brings a fleeting autumn but the colours can be absolutely magical but best of all is that you can often see two Auroras for the price of one. September and October are usually the only months when the Northern Lights are visible at the same time as the lakes and rivers remain ice-free. The beauty of this is that you will often see the Northern Lights overhead and reflected in open water at the same time. November is very much a time of change in the Arctic and heralds the arrival of the first major snows of the winter.

The snow does bring quite a bit of cloud cover but the shorter days also bring darker skies which increases the amount of time during which the Aurora might be visible. They just love snow and all things winter like dog sledding and snowmobiling and ice fishing and reindeer pulled sleigh rides and any other number of fun winter activities.

First and foremost, to see the Northern Lights, the skies must be dark. This immediately rules out daylight hours and, contrary to popular opinion, it is not pitch black in the Aurora Zone for the entire winter. Once darkness falls, the Aurora can be visible at any time of day and we have seen them as early as 4pm and as late as 6am that was quite a night!

Nevertheless, the optimum time seems to be around 9. As ever with Mother Nature, these things are impossible to predict and autumn has been unusual in that the lights have appeared earlier than usual and often, very often, billowed across the night sky into the very early hours. The secret to seeing the Aurora Borealis is patience. If your snowmobile or minibus or snowshoe search is unsuccessful then it is very often the people who brave the cold night rather than those who sneak off to a warm bed who have a tale to tell at breakfast time.

You do not have any shortlisted holidays. Click the star icon on the search or holiday pages to shortlist a holiday. Think of each number representing a 5 minute long cloud of solar wind speeding towards earth. Remember, it's best for Bz to be negative, and the more negative, the better.

Inbound Bz averages. The number closest to earth will hit first. Check out the Three Day Forecast. It is not just about low light. It is important to remember the widest part of the Aurora is when the sun is on the opposite side of the earth. So late, nighttime or early morning dark tends to be best.

But you also want few competing light sources so get away from the city lights and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.

The further away from those earth based light sources the better for seeing the Northern Lights. Full moons hurt a bit because they increase ambient light and darkness is best for viewing. The darker the moon, the better. The stronger the Aurora the more south one can see it. Check the Kp maps above and the size of the aurora oval also above. Also, if you're not sure which way is north, don't forget to bring a compass. Because you simply didn't know about it.

Here in the states, Maine and North Dakota have been two states with reports of the Aurora so far! Amazing substorm rn pic. Based on the latest predictions, this event is considered to be between a G1 and G3 Geomagnetic Storm Scale where 5 is the highest, but if we get to 3 that means some places farther south could see the Aurora. The Aurora could reach to between those green and yellow lines.

A big contributing factor will be the overnight cloud cover. Fingers crossed that you get to see it! Your email address will not be published.