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The Northern Illumination are one of the most spectacular natural demonstrations on our planet, and yet, not many people know much about what they are or what causes them to occur. The Northern Illumination look and feel magical – bright natural lights dancing in the night sky just look like something out of a fantasy motion picture; however, the science behind them is easy to comprehend, and that is what I’ll go through in this article.

What is the Northern Lights, and what leads to their appearance? Can you observe the Northern Lights with the naked eye? Is the Aurora dangerous? Keep reading to find responses to all of these inquiries, and more!

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Viewing the Northern Lights has become progressively popular over the past few years as many travelers are adding the spectacle to their bucket lists. Trips to see the Northern Lights are also in high demand thanks to the easily accessible information about this phenomenon.

As a professional landscape astrophotographer, I’ve been chasing the Aurora over the past decade all around the world. However, I started in the same place you are right now, being curious and asking myself these exact questions.

My goal in this article is to clearly explain what the Northern Lights specifically represents in a straightforward manner and to respond to some frequent inquiries I get relating to the Aurora Borealis. Are you prepared to learn what causes the Northern Lights to occur?

What are the northern lights?

The Northern Lights is an astronomical natural phenomenon comprising displays of luminous lights across Earth’s night sky, mostly visible at high latitudes. The Northern Lights usually appear green in the sky but can also exhibit blue, pink, and red glows.

As a simple response, the Northern Lights occur when high-energy particles from the sun (solar wind) collide with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms present in our magnetic envelope. The energy released from this interaction is what produces the light we see in the sky.

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What causes the northern lights?

The phenomenon of the Northern Lights transpiring relies upon particles emanating from the sun colliding with molecules within Earth’s atmosphere. These pieces are redirected towards the poles by the magnetosphere as if magnetically attracted, and in their wake, they collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules, producing flashes of luminance.

The sun regularly emanates charged particles in the form of plasma. This plasma travels through space and it’s referred to as the solar wind. This radiation isn’t always consistent; occasionally, solar activity may amplify, causing solar flares and sun spots. When these states occur, we experience what we term solar storms.

During solar storms, we can see strong displays of Northern Lights made of large groups of solar particles, or Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).

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How to see the Northern lights?

Viewing the Northern Lights can be challenging without understanding the fundamentals. This spectacle can be elusive, and even experienced Northern Lights observers usually return empty-handed. However, don’t let that discourage you! Learning how to see the Northern Lights and pursuing them is addictive, and with the proper gear, you can obtain breathtaking shots!

Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be prepared to start discovering your first Northern Lights:

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When is the best time to see the northern lights?

The best time to view the Northern Lights is during the Aurora season, meaning from late August to mid-April in the Northern Hemisphere and from May to September in the Southern Hemisphere for the Southern Lights. This is because at the latitudes the Aurora can be seen, it only gets dim enough during those specific months.

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More comprehensive data can be seen in this article on when to view the Aurora Borealis.

Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights?

The premier locations to view the Northern Lights are situated within the Auroral Zone. It represents an area located at a high latitude where the Northern Lights are more regularly visible.

In the area below the Auroral region, where solar activity must be stronger, you can also view the Northern Lights.

Below is a listing of the prime locales to view the Northern Lights:

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I wrote an in-depth article just on the best areas worldwide to view the Northern Lights.

What do the northern lights look like?

The Northern Lights’ appearance relies on solar action and which particles collide with protons and electrons that enter the atmosphere. The most common configurations of Northern Lights are arcs that can become more irregular as the activity increases, forming columns,bands, and needles.

The most sought-after form of Northern Lights is termed coronas, which is when the Aurora Borealis is directly overhead and looks like a beam of light.

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What color are the northern lights?

The luminosity and colorings of the Northern Lights also depends on solar flare activity and which atoms interact with the solar winds. When activity is low, the most common Aurora type is a faint green glow, similar to a thin cloud. When activity increases, it is possible to see brighter greens, reds, pinks, and even blues.

Green is connected to the effect of solar particles colliding with oxygen atoms at an elevation from 75 to 150 miles.

people standing on top of a lush green field

Blue, purple, and pink are less common to see and are related to solar particles colliding with nitrogen atoms. These impacts occur at an elevation below 75 miles. Yellow and lime can be seen in higher periods of activity and are a combination of green and blue.

Red tones are seldom visible. They are connected with solar particles interacting with oxygen atoms but at a higher elevation above 150 miles .

Other Northern Lights FAQ

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The Northern Lights commonly appear as a persistent oval of light from the north.

As the movement increases, particularly in times of high solar action, the Northern Lights can appear further southwards, covering the entire sky.

Northern Lights visibility is entirely connected to solar activity, which also relates to the solar cycle.

The sun adheres to an 11-year pattern, with a time of elevated performance in the middle called solar maximum, and a time of lower performance at the beginning and end called solar minimum. While during the solar maximum the Northern Lights are more frequent, they can also be seen during the solar minimum.

Presently in 2024 we are approaching the solar maximum of the current cycle.

The Northern Lights phenomenon does not manifest every night, however this is contingent on the solar cycle.

As per statistics from Spaceweather, in some years of solar maximum such as 2012 or 2013, there were Northern Lights every night, whereas in years related to a solar minimum for instance 2009, there were Northern Lights only on 105 nights throughout the year

As 2024 approaches, we are nearing the apex of the current solar cycle, so spectacular aurora shows will become increasingly prevalent.

The Aurora Borealis will be more common at lower latitudes, as was previously witnessed in 2023. There were two instances in 2023 where the Northern Lights were visible in uncommon locations such as Arizona and northern Italy! Everything points to 2024 promising another stunning year to observe Northern Lights.

The Northern Lights are not certain. Even if you’re at a high latitude during the period of Aurora activity and there is some solar excitation, the prediction sometimes fails.

Always accept the Aurora forecast with a grain of skepticism, but know how to examine the Aurora prediction to expand your chances.

Taking into account the solar emission levels and statistical data, the optimal months to see the Northern Lights are those during the equinoxes: September and March, particularly throughout the final two weeks of these months.

The Northern Lights can be seen plainly with the naked eye. When the Aurora is faint, camera sensors can capture more details and hues than our vision, but with vigorous displays, the Northern Lights are observable with the unassisted eye.

In my experience, the only color I see in a slightly different way is purple, which looks more like a white/grey hue to the naked eye.

The Northern Lights can occur during any time of the day, but  Northern lights visibility is limited to the hours of darkness. The Aurora season is determined by this factor.

Can you see the Northern Lights with clouds?

For  Northern lights visibility, you also  need clear skies. If there are thick clouds in the sky, you won’t see any Aurora in the sky.

Make sure you check the cloud forecast on a local site or on a general website like Windy.com.

You can view the Northern Lights with the full moon present. In fact, if you take pleasure in photography, it is a smart time to capture pictures of the Aurora, since you can shoot with lower ISO settings, avoiding digital grain.

However, this solely applies to substantial solar outbursts, since if the Aurora is faint, the moonlight will render it invisible.

The most reliable short-term and long-term Northern Lights prediction is the KP-index. This index ranges from 0 to 9, and even though it’s not completely accurate, it’s the best indicator to forecast the Aurora.

Another short-term predictor of the Aurora is the NOAA Auroral Oval estimate.

You can find more info in this article about Northern Lights forecast.

You can photograph the Northern Lights; the basics needed are a digital imaging device that allows manual settings, a bright lens, and a tripod to shoot long exposure photographyto capture the Aurora. These are the optimal cameras and lenses for Northern Lights photography.

You can examine the optimal camera settings for photographing the Northern Lights here.

Radiation from the sun in the kind of particles is extremely dangerous, but the magnetosphere safeguards us, redirecting the trajectory of these particles and projecting them towards the poles.

This solar exercise is very risky for astronauts out in area, since they’re out of the Earth’s magnetic field security. However, the Northern Lights are not dangerous to us thanks to the natural shielding of our planet.

Without the magnetosphere, we couldn’t see the Northern Lights, and we couldn’t exist either. The Northern Lights are a reminder that the Earth watches over us.

The solar particles that cause the Northern Lights can alter the Earth’s magnetic field, producing interruptions in satellites, direction finders, and power facilities. These are the most common consequences of the Northern Lights.

Formal investigations have authenticated that the Northern Lights can deliver some snapping and crackling noises during powerful displays from above 230 feet (70 meters).

However, without technical instruments, hearing sounds from the Northern Lights is highly unlikely, and most individuals who claim to have heard these sounds are likely recounting tales.

The solar activity that causes the Aurora and temperatures are unrelated.

However, the Aurora Borealis is often related to low temperatures, since it is more probable to see the Northern Lights at high latitudes in the months with the most darkness (winter).

From my own experiences, I know that you can see the Northern Lights in warm conditions at the end of spring or early autumn at mid-latitudes, or if there are strong solar outbursts that produce visible Northern Lights at low latitudes.

You have the potential to observe the Northern Lights in their entirety from an airplane. Actually, your probability of perception is higher compared to being on land, since you’ll have unrestricted vistas 100% ensured.

The Northern Lights phenomenon and the Aurora Borealis refer to the same event. This natural occurrence is additionally known as “Aurora Polaris.”

When the light display takes place in the Southern Hemisphere, the event is termed “Southern Lights” or “Aurora Australis.”

The unique and scientific name of the Northern Lights is “Aurora Borealis.”

The name “ Aurora Borealis” was coined by Galileo Galilei in the XVII century, capturing the names of the Roman goddess of dawn (Aurora) and the Greek god of the north winds (Boreas).

The Aurora Borealis have long been the basis for many myths and tales passed down through the ages.

Some of the most prominent are:

  • The majority of the aboriginal ethnic communities in the northern parts of North America and Greenland accepted that the Northern Lights were the spirits of the deceased.
  • Scandinavian settlers, like those belonging to the Norse culture, believed they formed a passage connecting earth and the home of the gods worshipped by the Vikings.
  • In some European regions where the Northern Lights are rarely seen, they thought the Aurora was an omen of impending hardship, such as famine or war.
  • In modern times, some sailors like the Swedish believed the Northern Lights foretold a fruitful fishing day.

Conclusion

Regardless of knowing or not knowing what the Northern Lights are, nothing can subtract from the fact that they are a mesmerizing spectacle to see. In this article, I’ve covered all the essentials needed to understand what the Northern Lights are, what they resemble, where to see them, etc. If wanting to gain more knowledge about Northern Lights, you are in the right place because I’ve composed plenty of articles over the past few years. You can begin by understanding how to photograph the Northern Lights or continue reading any of the related articles below

If you have any further questions, make sure to leave them in the comment section below, and I’ll be more than pleased to answer them.