They are most easily seen near the poles. If these hit Earth, we can get a particularly good show. That said, when the sun has solar flares or solar storms a huge number of charged particles are sent into space. They can happen any time of year – it just depends on the sun's solar wind and what it is doing. How often are Northern Lights visible – and where are they most easily seen? Yellow and green light will be from the electrons in oxygen atoms being excited and purple, blues and reds are from nitrogen. They can be different colors, depending on what atoms are being excited. The electrons then settle back down to their normal energy level and, in the process, release light. When they hit atoms in our atmosphere, electrons in those atoms are excited to a higher energy level. These particles then spiral around Earth's magnetic fields. The sun has its own solar wind that sends out charged particles. Northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, are an interaction between Earth's magnetic field and charged particles emitted by the sun. What exactly are the Northern Lights, and what causes them? Shannon Schmoll, director of Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium, explains: It’s not often to see a green or purple sky, so what actually are the Northern Lights, why are they so special and what’s the science behind them? Finland Northern Lights ToursĮxplore all the available Northern Lights Finland tours here.If your travel plans to see the wondrous Northern Lights were botched in 2020, you’re in luck: This week they will be visible across places in the northern United States. The peak season lasts two to four weeks in September. The birch turns a gentle shade of yellow, aspen turns red, and the leaves of blueberry and lingonberry shrubs turn bright red. If you are travelling in September, you will be able to see the beautiful autumn colours, called ’ruska’ by the locals. As the winter progresses, the daylight hours grow longer and you will see more of the beautiful snowy landscapes during the day while it still gets properly dark in the evenings to give you the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights in Finland. From November to April, our Northern Lights winter tour packages include a lot of snow activities.ĭecember and early January is the darkest time of winter above the Arctic Circle. The Finnish Lapland generally gets the year’s first snow cover in October or early November. The Northern Lights season in Finland is between the autumn and spring equinox (21 September – 21 March), and to see the Northern Lights in Finland, it needs to be dark and cold with as little cloud as possible.ĭue to it’s inland position, Northern Finland tends to get snow earlier than the coastal areas of Scandinavia. You might have to stay up later than usual and be sure to look NORTH! Best time for the Northern Lights in Finland Remember that your own effort will increase your chances of seeing the lights. Sometimes the sky can create a spectacular all night long Northern Lights show, and sometimes the lights may appear for just a couple of minutes. Some of our locations also offer a ’Northern Lights Alarm’ system, where you will be notified if the Northern Lights are up in the sky. Stay in a glass igloo and see the Northern Lights in the comfort of room temperature go on an evening snowmobiling, dogsledding or reindeer sledding safari and see the Northern Lights in the middle of wilderness or just take a walk outside your log cabin or on one of the frozen lakes to witness the spectacular light snow. Maximise your chance of seeing the Northern Lights in Finland

Northern Lights cannot be guaranteed in any location, but our tours have been designed by local Scandinavians, and our tours can include evening excursions and accommodation such as the Aurora Village Glass Cabins (pictured above) that increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights in Finland. Our job as Destination Specialists at 50 Degrees North is not just to send you to the right location, but to create a unique tour package for you to maximise your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. Kemi, Rovaniemi, Muonio, Ivalo, Kakslauttanen, Levi and Saariselkä are among our favourite destinations for seeing the Northern Lights in Finland. Best place for the Northern Lights in Finland Sometimes the lights can be seen as far south as Helsinki, the capital of Finland, but for the best chance we recommend heading up to Lapland in Northern Finland. The entire area around and above the Arctic Circle is well known for the magical phenomena of the Northern lights, or Aurora Borealis. At 50 Degrees North, we are often asked where is the best location to see the Northern Lights.

Where are the northern lights