5 Cities To See The Northern Lights (PHOTOS)

With so many wonders of the world, it is hard to keep up with natural phenomenons that are always changing. Natural sights are unique in their nature, but so hard to catch at the right moment. Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as The Northern Lights are one of those mystical, jaw dropping sights that you must see. Even an Asian belief says anyone who spots the Northern Lights will live happily ever after.

If you're brave enough to bare the cold arctic temperatures, you'll be rewarded with one spectacular light show. The best time to make your trip is between late autumn and early spring. Sometime between September 21st and March 21st the arctic area is dark from 6pm to 1am; prime times to spot the lights. As long as the weather cooperates, you should be able to catch the show.

Our friends at CheapOAir put together a list of the 5 cities around the world that make great spots to see the Northern Lights.

 

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Tromsø, Norway

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Home to the world's northernmost University City, just north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is an excellent choice for The Northern Lights. Since the city has a population of more than 65,000, it might be good to find a dark location out of town to observe the lights. January is the best time since sun never really breaks the horizon. Make sure to check out the Northern Lights Festival and a busy nightlight to accompany the celebration.

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Home to the world's northernmost University City, just north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is an excellent choice for The Northern Lights. Since the city has a population of more than 65,000, it might be good to find a dark location out of town to observe the lights. January is the best time since sun never really breaks the horizon. Make sure to check out the Northern Lights Festival and a busy nightlight to accompany the celebration.

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Comments

[mamacat]

04:30 PM on 11/02/2010

For those from southern climes, be warned about the cold.
I was raised in California, and the first time I was exposed to -40 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, it was a serious, serious shock. No amount of intellectual preparation is sufficient to really get one ready for the physical reality of temps that are 70 degrees below freezing.
The first time I was exposed to -40, I thought I was on a different planet or something, and I never did get to see the aurora.

[Mike Wrona]

07:20 PM on 11/01/2010

"Your title" not "You title"

[Mike Wrona]

07:19 PM on 11/01/2010

Hate to tell you this, but, Lapland and the Yukon Territory are not cities. You title is 40%
incorrect resulting in a failing grade for identifying only 3 cites out of 5..

[parlimentMike]

06:38 PM on 11/01/2010

Here's a link I use to determine if there's a chance to see the Norther Lights where I am. I need an intensity level of 4 to have a shot at seeing something.

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/

[DFL]

05:49 PM on 11/01/2010

I love a good night drive and have seen some great northern lights, and a while back I drove the alaska hwy. and it's great scenery!

[genrel1248]

05:38 PM on 11/01/2010

What about Frozenuts AK? And since when are Lapland and Yukon Territory considered cities?

[clarkesq]

05:32 PM on 11/01/2010

Who knew the Yukon was a city. I've been there, and that would be the biggest city in terms of square miles of any in the world with almost no one there. Whitehorse is a nice town.

[nidhi]

05:13 PM on 11/01/2010

Seeing the northern lights..another thing on my way overdue things to see before I have to save for my future kids' college tuition list. sigh!

[Derek340]

05:10 PM on 11/01/2010

One of the things I want to do someday is take a trip north to see the Aurora. I actually briefly saw them in Oregon once. I was driving home from work and noticed the sky looked a little greenish. I thought it was very odd but it didn't dawn on me what I was seeing until a couple minutes later when it got brighter and changed to a pinkish color before fading away. It was quite sight, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

[SiriusMrE]

05:00 PM on 11/01/2010

What causes the aurorae?

"It was [Norwegian-born physicist Kristian] Birkeland who correctly hypothesized in the early 20th century that electric currents from the Sun power the earth's auroras. For many decades, the scientific mainstream largely rejected Birkeland’s thesis, favoring instead the idea that Earth's magnetosphere is an impenetrable envelope, 'squeezed' by the solar wind to induce auroral activity. Only when satellites detected the magnetic signatures of electric currents in the aurora in 1973 was Birkeland's hypothesis irrefutably validated -- though for another two decades many astronomers resisted the implications of this discovery."
--The Electric Sun/Earth Connection Confirmed: http://www.thunderbolts.info/webnews/121707electricsun.htm

[Tigerama]

04:54 PM on 11/01/2010

I love this site, but with things loading all over the place, the format is buggy as hell. Maybe lay off on the thousand links, ads, blogs, and so on? News, maybe?

[Cooday]

04:48 PM on 11/01/2010

On Alaska Airlines flying into Anchorage, Alaska, I flew through the Auroras a few years ago. It was so beautiful. I was on my way to Dutch Harbor to work on a Floating pollack processor.

[Aneesia]

04:21 PM on 11/01/2010

I saw the Auroras about 30 years ago nearby Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. I had some friends with me, and their brother, from Kenya. We were in a tent and when it came time to take a leak, later that night, Gordon, the visitor, went outside. He was talking and chanting out loud in Pidgin, it was really strange. His brother was worried. It turned out that Gordon though that the Aurora were curtains to heaven and that God was behind them. He was confessing all of his sins and begging forgiveness before God appeared. We had a ball and Gordon felt quite sheepish !

[feuille0d0erable]

04:15 PM on 11/03/2010

That is so sweet... of course you know that Gordon was right, yes?

[GeoNorth]

04:21 PM on 11/01/2010

I used to love sitting out in the middle of a potato field in Arookstook County, ME. Spectacular shows!

[jayraye]

04:03 PM on 11/01/2010

Closer to home, try northern Minnesota, & UP of Michigan.