The reason that the Aurora can only be seen at the poles has to do with how the Earth’s magnetic field acts. The Earth has a metal core and acts much like a bar magnet with two poles and a magnetic field. Remember those charged particles that come from the sun and hit the atmosphere?

Bottom line: When charged particles from the sun strike atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, they cause electrons in the atoms to move to a higher-energy state. When the electrons drop back to a lower energy state, they release a photon: light. This process creates the beautiful aurora, or northern lights.

The Northern Lights are actually active all year round. Since it does need to be dark in order to see the Northern Lights in the sky, late August/September through the very beginning of April is the best time to go to a destination located in the aurora zone for a chance to see them.

From time to time, the solar wind gets stronger and penetrates Earth’s magnetic field. The stream of particles interacts with gases in the magnetic field (the magnetosphere), generating magnificent auroras. Earth’s magnetic field spans across thousands of kilometres in space.

As the protons and electrons from the solar wind hit the particles in the Earth’s atmosphere, they release energy – and this is what causes the northern lights.

The Northern Lights occur so high up in the atmosphere that they don’t pose any threat to people watching them from the ground. The aurora itself is not harmful to humans but the electrically charged particles produced could have some potentially negative effects to infrastructure and technology.

Evening tours run from 9 p.m. to about 4 a.m. and average $75 to $85 per person, while more extensive tours like the Northern Alaska fly/drive Arctic Circle viewing tour begins at $269 per person.

The Ultimate Guide To The World’s Best Northern Lights Cruises

• Norway & North Cape – Magic of the Arctic Winter, Auora Over Svolvaer.
• Iceland, Greenland & East Canada cruise.
• Under The Northern Lights: Exploring Iceland & East Greenland.
• Northeast Passage.

What are the best places to see the Northern Lights?

1. Tromso, Norway. Based in the heart of the aurora zone in the Norwegian Arctic, the city is widely regarded as one of the world’s best places to see the Northern Lights.
2. Swedish Lapland.
3. Reykjavik, Iceland.
4. Yukon, Canada.
5. Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland.
6. Ilulissat, Greenland.

Take a cruise tour: One of the best ways to see the northern lights as part of a cruise is to take a cruise tour. From Seward, you’ll journey inland to visit Denali National Park and Fairbanks, both prime viewing destinations for the northern lights.

Pack warm clothing. Scanning night skies for northern lights requires patience and warm clothing. Besides a down coat, warm hat and gloves, pack wind- and waterproof outer pants (like ski pants), thermal long underwear, wool socks and winter boots ideal for walking.

Wear layers of thermal underwear and wool sweaters, thermal leggings and snow pants, really warm socks, good shoes, windproof jacket, a hat, warm gloves, and also hand warmers.

Spring Packing Essentials for a Trip Up North:

• Durable blue jeans for hiking through heavy brush.
• Casual layering tops for fluctuating temperatures.
• A light jacket.
• Hiking boots.
• Thick wool socks.
• Stylish and comfortable footwear for site-seeing.
• A comfortable maxi dress.
• Sunglasses and sunscreen.

Yes – you can view the Northern Lights on one of our Norwegian cruises, however we can’t guarantee their appearance! The aurora borealis is near impossible to predict, but sightings are more likely on clear nights between October and March, and odds increase the further north you travel.

11 Best Places To See Northern Lights

• Fairbanks, Alaska. One of the best places in the world to view the northern lights in Fairbanks, which is located directly under the Auroral Oval.
• Tromso, Norway.
• Lapland, Finland.
• Yellowknife, Canada.
• Siberia, Russia.
• Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Abisko, Sweden.
• Orkney, Scotland.

Skip these ships.

• MSC’s Preziosa.
• MSC’s Armonia.
• MSC’s Lirica.
• MSC’s Meraviglia.
• Princess Cruises’ Majestic.
• Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas.
• 13 Worst Cruises. The cruising industry was hit hard this year.