what is the best time to view the northern lights tonight
Frequently Asked Questions: the Northern Lights
Check out our guide with the most pop questions virtually the incredible aurora borealis.
Where tin can I see the Northern Lights?
The Aurora Borealis is near commonly seen in the polar regions, within a radius of 2,500 km around the magnetic poles. This area is known every bit the Auroral Zone or the Auroral Oval. For the Northern Lights, the further north you travel the more than probable you are to catch a glimpse of the aurora. Above the Arctic Circumvolve (66°33'N) is the best identify to get aurora hunting which is why northern Norway and Svalbard are some of the all-time places on earth to see the Northern Lights.
- Encounter all Northern Lights cruises in Norway with Hurtigruten
When can I see them?
While technically, the Northern Lights are present for much of the year, there aren't enough hours of darkness to run into them during the summertime months, fifty-fifty above the Chill Circle. The wintertime season in the Arctic lasts from late September to late March/ early Apr. During this time, the Arctic sky is dark enough for the Northern Lights to be visible in the right atmospheric condition. The aurora is at its near active effectually the equinoxes in March and September.
The Northern Lights virtually normally announcedbetween 17:00 and 02:00. They don't usually exhibit for long – they may but show for a few minutes, then glide away before returning. A practiced display may last for no longer than 15-30 minutes at a time, although if you're actually lucky, it could extend to a couple of hours or longer.
To meet the Northern lights, the sky needs to be night and clear of any clouds. Some people claim the aurora comes out when temperatures are colder. This isn't the case – information technology's merely that when the skies are clement, temperatures tend to drop.
How are the Northern Lights created?
Read our full guide on what causes the Northern Lights.
The low-cal show nosotros see from the ground is caused byelectrically charged particles from space entering the World'south upper atmosphere at a very high speed.
How will I know if the Northern Lights volition appear?
Unfortunately, in that location is no 100% guarantee of spotting the Northern Lights. Being in the right place at the correct time helps i.e. northern Norway in winter, which is why Hurtigruten feels confident enough to offering its unique Northern Lights Hope.
Only in that location are forecasts available. The Kp Alphabetize is generally considered the most accurate – it'south much more reliable than the weather forecast. The forecast corresponds to the planetary magnetic alphabetize on a scale of ane to nine, with one being very low action and nine very high. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska has an excellent website, which allows yous to view predicted activeness in all auroral regions. You tin too sign up for Northern Lights forecast e-mail alerts that tell yous when activity rises above four to five on the Kp scale.
Do sunspots bear on the Northern Lights?
Yeah and no. The Solar Cycle refers to the number of sunspots nowadays on the surface of the sun. This bicycle lasts somewhere between 11-15 years. When the sunday is at its almost active and producing a lot of sunspots, it is referred to as the Solar Maximum and when the number of sunspots are at the lowest, information technology's chosen the Solar Minimum.
The Northern Lights become more agile and intense effectually Solar Maximum and in the iii to 4 years immediately following the meridian. During this fourth dimension, the Northern Lights may be visible further south than usual, due to the increased number of electrically charged particles reaching the World. Nonetheless, the polar auroras do not depend on sunspot activity at all. So, while information technology is truthful that sunspots affect the lights, this doesn't apply to locations under the Auroral Ovals.
Is wildlife affected by the Northern Lights?
Dogs will often wait at the sky and bark during an auroral display, which suggests that other animals are also enlightened of them. Although we tin't exist certain, it is well documented that at that place are things which animals tin sense that humans can't. Information technology's possible that some animals may exist able to sense the natural disturbance caused by an active aurora
Do the Northern Lights make a sound?
There are records of people who alive under the Northern Lights, peculiarly Inuit communities, who claim they have heard the aurora brand a audio. Scientifically, it doesn't seem feasible as audio doesn't travel at the same speed equally light. The aurora occurs 100 km upward in the sky so anything making a audio would demand to exist propagating at the speed of light; otherwise, it would occur so long later on the upshot that you wouldn't connect the two. Audio recordings of the Northern Lights accept been attempted only to date, these haven't picked anything up.
However, nothing in science is incommunicable. There are theories that a grade of electrical discharge from the Northern Lights could produce sound audible to humans just this has yet to be proven.
Does moonlight bear on the Northern Lights?
It depends on how intense the auroral display is. Moonlight volition affect visibility if the aurora is faint – brilliant moonlight volition arrive harder to see or not visible at all, if y'all want to see how a full display develops, it's best to become around the fourth dimension of the new moon.
Withal, if there is a bright aurora, y'all will fifty-fifty be able to run into it in total moonlight.
Are the Northern Lights and the Southern Lights the aforementioned?
The Northern Lights and the Southern Lights are mirror images of each other. During the summertime in the Chill Circumvolve, when the Northern Lights aren't visible, it is winter in Antarctica so the Aurora Australis will exist visible, and vice versa.
The Northern Lights are more pop with tourists considering information technology is more accessible, more hospitable and there is more to meet and do. During winter, the Antarctic continent becomes surrounded with thick, floating pack ice, making information technology almost impossible to get there. In contrast, the Norwegian coast, Alaska, northern Canada, Southern Greenland, Iceland, and the far n of Scandinavia and Russia are all populated areas with enough of opportunities for tourists wishing to experience the Northern Lights.
Can you lot come across the Northern Lights from infinite?
Both the Northern Lights and the Southern Lights are visible from infinite. Astronauts on the International Space Station become a view of both auroras as they travel around the world. But the view from space is much less variable than it is from Earth. From the footing, the auroral structures grow in the sky and change form depending on your distance from them. There's much more variety in the Aurora you view from the ground than what you run into from space.
Lookout this stunning NASA footage of the aurora borealis from space
Do other planets accept auroras?
There are auroral emissions on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and, we believe, Uranus and Neptune as well. The auroras on Jupiter and Saturn produce emissions in ultraviolet and infrared which are non visible to the naked center, only specialist cameras are able to capture them. At that place may be visible auroras besides, only they wouldn't wait anything similar those on Earth.
Mars also has an aurora, but it is completely unlike to that of other planets. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a global magnetic field. As an aurora is dependent on a planet'south magnetic field, the aurora on Mars does not appear every bit rings similar we encounter from world. The Aurora on Mars simply occurs in certain places where in that location are magnetic rocks on the surface, and information technology's much more than localised.
Are the Northern Lights harmful to humans in any way?
The Northern Lights occur so high up in the temper that they don't pose any threat to people watching them from the basis.
The aurora itself is non harmful to humans but the electrically charged particles produced could have some potentially negative effects to infrastructure and technology. The particles produce an electric current that reaches the ground. In very farthermost circumstances, this could affect electric power lines, oil and gas pipelines, calculator networks and iCloud systems. In that location could also be a run a risk to aeroplanes flying at very loftier altitudes. However, very few aircraft fly high enough, and any aircraft that did, wouldn't be in that location long enough for in that location to be any danger.
How do I photograph the Northern Lights?
Read our full guide to capturing the Northern Lights: 10 photography tips for beginners
Photographing the Northern Lights isn't an exact science; there are a lot of variables to consider. All cameras and lenses will give different results, so a bit of trial and error is needed to discover out what works best for you lot. It's also of import to remember that no ii auroras are the aforementioned. This means that settings which piece of work ane night may not work the next. Simply don't let that put you off; experimenting with dissimilar settings and seeing the range of results they produce is all part of the fun.
Source: https://global.hurtigruten.com/inspiration/experiences/northern-lights/faq/
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