The 4 things you need to do to see Northern Lights in Norway

To see Northern Lights, there are four things you need to do. If only one of them is missing, you won't be able to see these magical lights. Learn about it and increase your chances of seing Northern Lights!

1. Go North

Because Northern lights appear close to the Aurora oval, which is located in the north, you must be up enough in the north to be able to see them.

Travel as far north as you can: anything from and above Bodø is good. In places south of Bodø/Helgeland, you can still see the lights, but only if the sun's activity is strong enough. In the north though, you can see it even with a moderate sun activity. This means that your chances of seeing the lights are much higher in the North. As an example, a lot of people think Iceland is the best place to witness the northern lights. However, open a map and look where Iceland is located compared to Bodø (Norway). You will notice that Iceland is actually not that far north, which means it is not the most ideal place to get high chances of seeing northern lights.

2. Seek for darkness

Northern lights are dancing in the sky all year round, but you cannot see them in summer because the nights are not dark enough in Norway from mid-April to August. Choose a time to go between September and early April.

To watch northern lights, you should be somewhere without light pollution coming from cities, houses, or street lights. When choosing your accommodation for your stay, it can be smart to find a place with no light pollution around. This will make it easier to hunt the northern lights: if they appear, you will be able to see it from where you are staying.

3. Look for high solar activity

As northern lights come from the solar wind, you need the sun activity to be high enough. It is often said that the solar activity is higher around the two equinoxes, in September and March. This has not been scientifically proven, but it comes from experience. This means chances of high solar activities increase over these times of the year (September, October, March, April).

Many tools exist to predict the solar activity and to know when there is high chances of seeing Northern Lights. You can learn all about it in the book Find your Norway, to make sure you do not miss any opportunity of seeing these spectacular lights.

4. Find the good weather

To be able to see Northern Lights, the sky must be clear. It should be no clouds, or very little. According to weather statistics, January, February, and March are usually drier than September, October, November, December. This means there are usually more nights of clear sky during these three first months of the year, which is better for northern lights.

Once you are in Norway, you will have to find the good weather. If the sky is clear right where you are, you are lucky. But if it is not, use the weather forecast from Yr and from Windy, to find places where there are no clouds. These two services are very handy when it comes to weather predictions.

And then what?

Now that you know what is needed to see Northern Lights, it is easier for you to plan your trip. But what about once you are in Norway and will start your Northern Lights hunt?

This last step will require some more planning, as well as warm clothes and patience. And for your trip to be a success, this last step really has to be done the right way. You will find a detailed explanation about it, how to hunt Northern Lights once you are in Norway, in the book Find your Norway.

Are you an independent traveler planning a trip in Norway?

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The book Find your Norway gives you all the tools and knowledge needed to become your own guide and create breathtaking trips.

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Who am I?

I am Agathe, a french girl living in Norway since several years and who has explored the country a lot. Through Instagram, I have been helping many people to plan their trip in Norway. To help even more people, I decided to create this book to share with you all the knowledge needed for creating breathtaking trips around Norway.