When is the best time to see the Northern lights?

Hey There,

                    When is the best time is to see the Aurora Borealis, well If I could answer this question I would be a Millionaire!! so, the best I can do is to give you a rough guide based on timescales.

The appearance of the Northern lights are very difficult to predict any further in advance than about two hours before it appears in the sky. The Northern Lights occur throughout the year but the bright summer months make them invisible so the best times are focused on other months of the year.
                  
January to March is probably the three most popular months for people visiting the Northern lights because of the snow to play in and the dark nights for the auroral displays.

From early- April until late- August the Northern lights are visible with scientific equipment but not to the human eye. But there is so much to see and do during these months as there are 24 hours of pure daylight in Northern Scandinavia which is rather welcoming.

September and October are recommended months to see the Northern Lights for those who want to avoid the cold Arctic winter weather. Theses are the only two months when the lakes are ice free and the Auroras are visible.September brings a short autumn but the colours can be quite magical, but best of all you can often see two Auroras for the price of one!

Credit: Markku Inkila

November and December are the months where there is Arctic weather. November is when the landscape changes so rapidly, its as if autumn becomes winter overnight. Due to snow cloud cover, the Auroras aren't often that visible during the day, but the shorter days also bring darker skies which increase the amount of time you can see the Auroral displays.

The Best Time of Day
To watch the Northern Lights the skies must be dark ,so daylight hours are not recommended. Once its dark the Aurora can be visible at any time of day. From my research people usually see them between 9pm and 1am but some people have seen them as early as 4pm and as late as 6am!



Emily ✵ 


References:
https://www.skyscanner.net/news/6-best-places-see-northern-lights-winter-2015-2016