TWO PLACES WITH THE MOST AMAZING LIGHT

Auroras are some of the most amazing lights we can see on and around planet earth. Interestingly, it was recently found that the planet Jupiter has auroras too. They occur at polar regions. Aurora Borealis, aka Northern Lights, are found hanging above Earth’s North Pole region.  Aurora Australis, aka Southern Lights, are found at Earth’s South Pole region.

Auroras are caused by electrically charged particles as they stream from the sun, carried by solar wind, and smash into a planet’s polar magnetic fields, where they concentrate, all aglow, in every shifting shapes and colors.

Winter is the overall best time to see amazing aurora lights because that’s when nights are longest and darkest. According to the Geophysical Institute, the best time to see the aurora is within an hour of midnight.

The spring equinox, as winter turns to spring in March, often has the most intense lights because of Earth’s tilt in relation to the sun.

It’s best to plan a viewing adventure  on or around new moons -- again, so you have the darkest sky possible and the lights can easily contrast. Clear vs cloudy nights are important.

Our sun operates in an 11 year cycle of activity. Solar maximum is when the sun emits the most particles,while solar minimum is when it’s most “quiet.” Auroras as more frequent, more dramatic, and more intense during solar maximum -- the next one happens in 2024. But don’t fret, you can see plenty of magnificent auroras any year.

Check out SolarHam, the Aurora Forecast app, and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, for up to the minute forecasts on aurora sightings.

In the northern hemisphere, best places to see Northern Lights are above 65° north latitude, including the most northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. This winter, we leaned towards Iceland and Alaska as two travel destinations with exceptional Northern Lights experiences. Check them out below.

ICELAND’S AMAZING LIGHTS

Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice, really rocks the Northern Lights in its own special ways. It is well positioned, at 65° north, sitting at the southern edge of the Arctic Circle, so the lights glow in full glory practically every night during the winter.

While Iceland is certainly cold in winter, it is warmer than most other aurora viewing locales around the world. And because it is so sparsely populated, this country has plenty of dark skies overhead to provide the most dramatic visual contrast.

Here, you can see these magical lights while soaking in a natural hot spring, floating among icebergs, or hiking on glaciers.

Although you can see the Northern Lights from Reykjavík if they are particularly strong, it’s best to get away from the city’s light pollution so you can see them better. Check out Thingvellir National Park, a short drive away, for a beautiful vantage point.

Another wonderful spot to view the lights is the small town of Hella, in the south of Iceland.  There, the Hotel Ranga offers an aurora alert service as well as an on-site observatory staffed with astronomers that are happy to share their wisdom and guidance. Get an extra beautiful experience by gazing up at the aurora as you soak in one of their outdoor hot tubs!

The Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, one of our favorite places in Iceland, near the small town of Höfn, is a gorgeous place to view auroras. It’s breathtaking to see the lights shimmer above icebergs calved from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier as the float out to sea, and to see it all reflected in the crystal clear frigid waters.

The Skógafoss waterfall serves as a powerful dramatic setting for aurora viewing. The aurora dances above these glorious falls, reflecting in the river.

If you go soon, you can check out the Dark Music Days festival of contemporary and new music, held from January 25-27, 2018.

ALASKA’S AMAZING LIGHTS

Northern Alaska is an extraordinary aurora borealis destination. Although it’s particularly cold, with winter temperatures often lurking around -30°F,  usually way colder than Iceland, the skies are usually the clearest in the world, especially inland.

In Alaska, auroras are seen from mid-September to late April -- it tends to peak in March.

The gold rush city of Fairbanks is the southernmost spot in Alaska the offers a killer view, although things get even better the further north you travel. Just 17 miles north, check out Cleary Summit, which gives you a spectacular view of the horizon.

You’ll want to get up high so you can get the panoramas. Check out Haystack Mountain, as well as Ester, Wickersham, and Murphy Domes.

Iniakuk Wilderness Lodge is an exclusive fly-in luxury wilderness lodge that offers a rustic-luxe lights experience. Nearby Coldfoot Camp, outside of Coldfoot, a former gold-mining town at the edge of Prudhoe Bay, at the foot of the Brooks Mountain Range, offers aurora adventure tours 11 miles north at Wiseman, where the lights are very likely to be visible.

If you really love extremes, go for the Top Of The World Hotel, at Barrow, at the northern-most edge of Alaska  (71° north latitude). Dog-sled under the lights with native Iñupiat guides.

Head to the lights at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park -- you’ve got 13.2 million acres to roam -- it’s the largest protected reserve in the United States. Stay at the Ultima Thule lodge after a day of glacier trekking and a night of Northern Lights gazing.

Alaska offers some hot tub and hot spring aurora experiences too! Soak in a tub at the Chena Lakes Resort or in the naturally steamy Manley Hot Springs.

Northern Alaska Tour Company and 1st Alaska Tours are just two of a few companies that offer organized tours.

Read more about Amazing Light all this week on BeautifulNow.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Joshua Strang/USAF. “Seeing the Aurora in a New Light.” Courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Alaska.
2. Image: by Greenzowie. “Kirkjufell Northern Lights.” Iceland.
3. Image: by Glenn Roze. Iceland.
4. Image: by Greenzowie. “Northern Lights.” Iceland.
5. Image: by Diana Robinson. “Northern Lights over Black Church at Budir, Iceland.” Iceland.
6. Image: by Alison Tomlin. “Northern lights over Jökulsárlón.” Iceland.
7. Image: by Ramiro Torrents. “Skøgafoss.” Iceland.
8. Image: by Andrew Petersen. “Aurora over Monashka Bay. The aurora borealis over Monashka Bay on Kodiak Island.” Alaska.
9. Image: by Andrew Petersen. “Aurora over Monashka Bay on Kodiak Island. First time out with the Olympus. Alaska.
10. Image: by Paxson Woelber. “Northern lights in Talkeetna, Alaska.” Alaska.
11. Image: by John Gaedeke. “Iniakuk Wilderness Lodge.” Courtesy of Go Far North. Alaska.
12. Image: by Malcolm Manners. “Aurora borealis.” Fairbanks, Alaska.
13. Image: by Nicolle Minnerly. Aurora. Courtesy of Chena Hot Springs. Alaska.
14. Image: by Brooke Binkowski. “Northern Lights.” Chickaloon, Alaska.
15. Image: by Jeremy Matlock. “My Public Lands Magazine, Spring 2015.” Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management. Alaska.
16. Image: by Jeff Turner. “Northern Lights - Thorsmork, Iceland.” Iceland.
17. Image: by Claudia Regina. “Stars over Iceland.” Iceland.