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When in Northern Lights

There are both seasonal and long-term variations in the likelihood of a Northern Lights display. On a yearly basis, the Lights are at their peak in September and March, but also in October and April. The reasons for this trend aren't fully known, but it's definitely real, not just an artifact of the weather or other viewing conditions. The Lights can best be seen at around midnight. In the longer term, auroral displays are correlated with an 11-year cycle in sunspot activity and other perturbations of the sun; the more restless the sun, the more aurorae. Unfortunately, 2006-7 corresponds to a minimum in solar activity, and therefore the number of Northern Lights-lit nights. However, at the most favorable latitudes, the Lights are still likely to be seen even at solar minimum; it's mainly at lower latitudes that they get scarce during the inactive times. The next maximum in solar activity will be in about 2013, with frequent Northern Lights displays likely for another two or three years after that, so you have plenty of time to plan a trip. In addition to these more or less regular variations in frequency of the aurora, there are also less predictable, erratic displays resulting from solar storms. Some of these, particularly near solar-activity maximum, can lead to visible Northern Lights remarkably far south, if you're in an area with clear, transparent night skies. The "Alerts" section below will help you stay on top of solar activity and prepare for some viewing when a solar storm does occur. Last but not least, don't forget the weather forecast ? aurora occur very high up in the atmosphere, and if there are clouds in the way you will not see anything.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Northern Lights

Understanding the lights better in Northern Lights
Where in Northern Lights
When in Northern Lights
Prepare in Northern Lights
Alerts in Northern Lights
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Photography in Northern Lights
Observing sites in Northern Lights
Northern Lights travel safety advice
Okay, so how about the Southern Lights? in Northern Lights

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WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020

Northern Lights Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

When in Northern Lights