

Best Places to See the Northern Lights in the United StatesĪlaska is the northernmost state in the United States and is the best place to go for a northern lights trip if you wish to stay stateside. This includes what other things there are to do in the area. While you are likely to be up much of the night to see the lights, you may want to choose where you go based on other factors as well. It’s important to also consider what else there is to do in the area. There are variances based on various conditions so the answer can also change year-to-year and decade-to-decade.

The more you research, the more you will find varying opinions as to the best place to see the northern lights. The optimal viewing areas in some of these countries are in the southern regions. It is actually possible to be too far north to view the Northern Lights. These include the United States (Alaska, specifically), Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweeden, Finland, and Greenland. The best places to see the northern lights are in the countries that are the farthest north. Best Places to go in the World for a Northern Lights Trip However, they can reach 30° latitude or further. This reaction occurs in the polar regions of the earth at an altitude of 40-400 miles from the earth in a zone called the “Auroral Oval.” These lights are most commonly seen between 60° and 75° latitude. Green occurs between 60 and 150 miles, and ruby red appears above. When they collide with nitrogen, pinks and purples are produced.Īltitude also affects the colors, and blues and reds generally occur up to 60 miles above the earth’s surface. When these solar particles collide with oxygen, red and green auroras are produced. The lights occur when charged particles emitted from the sun during a solar flare penetrate the earth’s magnetic shield and collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere. They are a naturally occurring phenomenon. These polar lights also happen in the southern hemisphere, where they are called aurora australis. The northern lights, also called the aurora borealis, is a polar light that occurs in the northern hemisphere. The Best Months and Times for a Northern Lights Trip.Best Places to See the Northern Lights in the United States.Best Places to go in the World for a Northern Lights Trip.
