27
votes
Accepted
What is this violet colored spread in the sky?
A greenhouse!
I know, but bear with me. Many on Twitter / Instagram snapped photos of similar lights, in recent times and in various places, and one of the sources was tracked down:
It turns out the ...
- 160k
20
votes
How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?
Aurora spotting is hard because several factors have to align:
You have to be an latitude where auroras can be seen (generally 60°N+)
There has to be actually be an aurora occurring at a given time, ...
- 99.3k
15
votes
How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?
I used to live north of the Arctic Circle at the northern edge of town, and frequently saw the northern lights from my apartment window. At the time, I studied and worked on a campus housing the ...
- 60.1k
12
votes
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Is it safe to go aurora hunting in Rovaniemi by yourself?
As a Finn, I'm mildly amused by this thread. A couple of misconceptions:
Aurora are extremely high up: the usual band is 100-600 km, at least 10x higher than a commercial airplane and extending far ...
- 99.3k
8
votes
Is it safe to go aurora hunting in Rovaniemi by yourself?
Finland is quite safe in general. If you are not used to driving in ice, snow and darkness, that might pose some risk. Drive carefully and carry warm clothes in case you get stranded in more remote ...
- 211
7
votes
Are aurora borealis actually extremely rare in the Netherlands?
Depending on where you are within the country it is a 'once in a lifetime' occurance or maybe a 'once in a year' one.
There are locations which have no light polution to the north, good open flat ...
- 62.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Seeing Northern Lights in Scotland
The thing you need to understand is that the Aurora Borealis tends to occur in an oval over the North Pole. Based on how strong is the aurora (KP number), the further south the aurora will be visible.
...
- 1,080
6
votes
Accepted
Can the aurora and snow be seen at Rovaniemi in October?
The best time to visit is around Easter, when there's lots of snow, it's not too cold and there's sunlight, but October is a reasonable option.
Snowfall: Statistically, the "first snow" (ensilumi), ...
- 99.3k
6
votes
Apart from these countries, is there any other one where you can see the auroras and at the same time go to a tropical forest in their territory?
You can frequently see the aurora in Alaska and you can visit the El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico both in the United States of America.
- 68.5k
6
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How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?
If the northern lights are strong as they are around this time you may well find/see them without a guide. If you have the time you can go out after dark and try it solo and if not happy with the ...
- 62.6k
4
votes
Are aurora borealis actually extremely rare in the Netherlands?
I have never been to Netherlands and thus cannot share any first-hand experience; however, I know about multiple reports and photos of aurorae seen from Slovakia and Hungary in the last few years. The ...
4
votes
How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?
I suggest you check for an app relevant to Norway. Some apps work globally. Perhaps it's a good idea to pick one (or two) before you head off and familiarise yourself with them. The one I use in the ...
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4
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Apart from these countries, is there any other one where you can see the auroras and at the same time go to a tropical forest in their territory?
Auroras are sometimes visible in Australia, particularly in Tasmania; and Queensland has tropical rainforests.
Under rare circumstances, auroras have been seen within 10 degrees of the Equator. If ...
- 19.1k
4
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Accepted
Where can you see aurora borealis in Charlevoix in early Oct?
The aurora are centered around the magnetic poles and not the true north pole. Since the magnetic north pole is near Hudson Bay, Canada you are more likely to see aurora at lower latitudes in Canada ...
- 156
4
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What are the chances to see the Northern Lights in East Canada in December?
The map cited by the original poster @Hans Tausend (copyright 2012) is outdated, and the solar maximum mentioned is long past.
For current information on space weather see this page from the US ...
- 1,330
3
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When is there a high chance of seeing the aurora from Sweden?
Geographically you want to be in the northernmost third of the country. The further north the better. Auroras in southern Sweden are few and far between. You also need to be away from any big cities ...
- 131
3
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How late (and early) in the year can you see the Northern Lights from the Faroe Islands?
The Northern Lights can be seen from anywhere in the far northern hemisphere. Only last week, displays were visible in Scotland and northern England. Although present year-round, they can only really ...
- 28.5k
3
votes
How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?
It is possible. A phone really help to identify it is an aurora or not: on phone you see the classic green, but on naked eyes... it depends. It seems most of us just see greyish "clouds". It ...
- 9,840
2
votes
How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?
You can absolutely see the Northern Lights without going on a tour. I have personally seen them in Alaska, before cell phones were commonplace, and they are impossible to miss with the naked eye if ...
- 49
2
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Seeing Northern Lights in Scotland
There is an old Scottish folk song by Kenneth McKellar called The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen:
Mojim
The northern lights of auld Aberdeen,
Mean home sweet home tae me,
The northern lights of ...
- 337
2
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Seeing Northern Lights in Scotland
I've spent many years looking at the sky in the UK and never seen even a hint of green on the horizon. Often there's a report of a high KP number but the sky will be overcast. Scottish weather is ...
- 217
2
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Self Guided Northern Lights Tour
Kris had a very useful reply. What we did in Alaska, during a low solar activity period, was book a room as far up north as possible that also catered to people that wanted to see the aurora, and had ...
- 49
2
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Accepted
When is there a high chance of seeing the aurora from Sweden?
I researched this a little bit last year when planning a trip to Norway during which I saw several auroras. In theory, the best is around the equinox but you should really go in the middle of the ...
- 113k
2
votes
What are the chances to see the Northern Lights in East Canada in December?
You need three things to see the northern lights:
Darkness (winter rather than summer and as little light pollution as possible)
A location at the right latitude (in the so-called “aurora belt” - it ...
- 113k
1
vote
Accepted
Northern lights in Iceland during March
Even at the best of circumstances seeing the aurora is not guarantied. Rumor has it that you have a 50% chance on the best of days.
You are not having the best of days, with a prediction of only 2 out ...
- 62.6k
1
vote
Aurora Borealis in Oulu
Your odds are good but not great.
The season is good, since while the peak season for auroras in Oulu ("O" in the graph below) is April, but there's a fair amount of activity in February as well.
(...
- 99.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible