Aurora Borealis Info

What Is the Aurora Borealis?

The aurora borealis happen when the charged particles from the Sun (called “solar wind”) make collisions with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The gases become excited and emit light — mostly green but sometime red, purple or even pink.

How Often Can I See Auroras in Lapland?

In Rovaniemi region, the aurora are visible on about 80-85% of the nights, but only if the sky is clear. Clouds are the main factor that can prevent you from seeing the auroras, and can significantly reduce your chances — if you only stay at one spot. Early-to-mid winter is particularly known to be difficult with the weather, when clouds can persist over the region for days or even weeks in a row. In practice, that means that auroras can be visible in Rovaniemi region only on about 10–30% of the nights. That’s why going hunting and searching for clear skies greatly improves your chances.

There are also about 10–15% of the nights when, despite having clear skies, the auroras do not appear to be visible to the naked eye (but only with camera). This happens due to weak solar wind, and is completely natural.

What is the “best place” to see the auroras?

This is a question that is hard answer exactly. There are several regions in the world that are known for aurora tourism: Tromsø in Norway, Abisko in Sweden, Iceland, Alaska, among others. Finnish Lapland is one of such regions — it is quite vast, with many sub-regions inside it. All these areas are situated roughly between 65°N and 71°N, which places them right under the auroral oval, where the northern lights most commonly appear.

There’s a concept that “the farther north, the better the chances”. This can be true on the nights with low aurora activity, when the auroral oval is withdrawn more towards the northern part of the “aurora corridor” (69°N–71°N). On most nights, however, the auroras can be seen throughout the aurora zone, including the lower north latitudes (64°N–67°N) — but at different angle in the sky (low on the horizon vs. overhead), and their perceived intensity differs. With high aurora activity, the aurora oval pushes equatorward, and auroras can be seen above head much more southward, in lower high latitudes, and even in upper mid latitudes.

Most common problem for any of those regions is the clouds. One night it can be clear and good auroras in northern Norway, other night it can be totally cloudy there, with Finnish Lapland, or Sweden taking its turn at clear skies.

So, essentially, the best area to see the auroras changes and shifts, according to the weather, clouds, and the aurora activity.

Rovaniemi, where my aurora ours start, is situated in the centre of Finnish Lapland and is well connected with roads. This provides for a good starting point to explore any area north, west, east or south in Lapland that has th best forecast for clear skies on a given night. Swedish Lapland is only 1 hour away from Rovaniemi, and we often go there for the hunts (no visa or passport needed).

Are the auroras visible to the naked eye?

The strength and visibility of auroras depend on solar activity. On most normal nights, only the green colour of the aurora is seen well enough with the naked eye — the rest of the colours is better seen by camera.  Auroras often start as a mere pale grey line, or a soft glow on the horizon. With time,  they can intensify and become more vibrant — emerald green, or yellowish green. The duration of the aurora can vary between only a few minutes, to them lasting all night —  this is impossible to predict. With stronger solar activity, northern lights appears more colourful to the naked eye and last longer, occasionally producing intense & short displays of green, yellowish, red and pink colours during the aurora expansion or substorm stage.

When is the best time to see the auroras?

The aurora season in Lapland lasts from mid August until the late April. The best seasons are from early September until the end of October, as well as from end February through March and early of April. Strong auroras depend on the solar activity, and are possible in any month of the season, but they are statistically less likely to occur in winter months —  November, December and January. I’ve written an in-depth article about the best time to see auroras, and I invite you to read it here: best months to see northern lights!