subject: When And Where Can We See The Northern Lights [print this page] The aurora borealis has been increasingly associated with the Polar Regions due to their ever-growing popularity with travelers through word of mouth notwithstanding the fact that they are already closely related to each other as the northern lights seem to visit these regions like how a man would court a woman. The magnetic north pole seems to be the favorite spot of the aurora borealis as its occurrence is frequently observed within a radius of 2500 km centered on the pole. This area of coverage reaches to northern Scandinavia, the southernmost part of Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and the northern Siberian coast. It is reported that the coasts of Troms and Finnmark are favored graciously with the aurora borealis' visits making the northern part of Norway the top choice of travelers wishing to see the spectacle.
In addition, people situated in the south of the so-called "aurora's area of coverage" may find a probability of seeing the aurora, however, the probability will more likely decrease as the distance increases. The southern magnetic pole has an equivalent "auroral zone" where travelers coming from the south can see the auroras but these "southern lights" are visible only from Antarctica and from within its vicinity ocean. Statistics show that the southern lights are evident from Tasmania and south of New Zealand. Nonetheless, it is still a consolation for those who are situated nearby Tasmania and southern New Zealand to see the northern lights but don't have time to travel north, as the southern lights appear to be a reflection of the northern lights.
An interesting fact to take note about the northern lights is that they are just there up in the sky all year round but we just can't clearly see them especially when the night is all lit up with the moon and the stars. It is for this reason that travelers go hunt the aurora borealis during winter season in northern Norway, as the skies are fairly dark during this season. The months of September and the middle of April are being observed as the perfect time to hunt the northern lights.
There are some instances when the northern lights appear to be very intense and could still be seen on a twilight sky. This is not uncommon in Tromso on an August evening. Surprisingly, it is observed during winter on Spitzbergen that it is possible to see the northern lights during daytime, when the skies are dark. This so-called "day aurora" is very rare to see because clouds are most likely present even during winter to obstruct our view to it.
