Experience the Northern Lights in Lapland

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are the most enchanting natural phenomenon one can experience in the Arctic Region. Witnessing this otherworldly display of colour and light is on many people’s bucket list and it’s easy to see why. The breathtaking appearance of the Aurora Borealis in the night sky makes for a truly magical and cherished moment.

Experiencing the Northern Lights in Lapland can leave you lost for words, as it invites you to pause and embrace the natural spectacle with all your senses. For those equipped with the right camera gear and skills, there’s a fantastic chance to capture the sought-after photographs that lure travelers from across the globe.

Experiencing the Northern lights for the very first time could be your bucket list moment. However, even after you’ve ticked that box on your list each night during your trip to Lapland could have something new and exciting to offer. By understanding local factors and space weather, you can increase your chances of encountering a mesmerizing Northern Lights show at the right place and time.

Journeying into the far North to witness the Northern Lights can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip and Lapland provides the perfect setting to capture the beauty of this celestial wonder. The Northern lights are typically visible between 60 and 75 degrees of latitude, so destinations like Rovaniemi and Levi offer you an ideal vantage point, as they place you above 66 degrees of latitude. These latitudes also offer you another bucket-list-worthy experience: travelling Beyond the Arctic Circle, which happens to align with the city of Rovaniemi.

While some travellers travel great distances to view the Northern Lights, the origin of this mystical phenomenon lies even farther away. It all begins with the Sun, where various processes release charged particles into space. These particles hurtle towards the Earth and begin to interact with its magnetic field and atmosphere. As the particles collide with specific atmospheric atoms and molecules, the captivating Northern Lights emerge. Each photograph taken captures the culmination of these particles’ long journey from the Sun.

The Northern Lights season spans from late August to the first half of April, providing approximately two hundred nights of opportunity to experience this awe-inspiring phenomenon in Finnish Lapland. There is a persistent claim that mid-winter is the best time to witness the Northern Lights, but the most active seasons are in fact autumn and spring. During these time periods, the Earth’s orientation towards the Sun makes it easier for the particles from the Sun to enter our atmosphere.

Regardless of when you plan your visit during the Aurora season, there are excellent chances to see the Northern Lights. The primary factor influencing this natural display is the activity of the Sun, which follows an eleven-year cycle known as the solar cycle. The higher the activity in the Sun, the more changes to see the Northern Lights. Currently, we are transitioning from the solar minimum years of 2018-2020 to the solar maximum, predicted to peak in the next one to three years. The season of 2022-2023 saw numerous strong Northern Lights shows, which some might even describe as “crazy.” As we approach the solar maximum, there are hopeful expectations that we will witness even more of these fantastic geomagnetic storms.

The Northern Lights and their origins have been the root of many fascinating myths and stories that continue to hold cultural significance to this date. In modern times, scientific research has led to a global increase in knowledge about this captivating natural wonder. As our Sun is the only source of solar wind, which hurls into space and can pass Earth, keeping an eye on it’s surface is very important. Scientists continuously observe the Sun’s surface, collecting various types of data through images and other methods.