Is there a sure fire time to see the Northern Lights?

CDaniels1987

It is one of my wife's dreams to see them, so I had the idea of trying to arrange a surprise trip to see them this year.

Is there a time where you will definatley be as to see them or at least a high chance? Also what's the best country to visit to see them?

Shimrod

To see the Northern Lights you need two separate factors to be favourable at the same time - clear skies and a bit of solar activity. Although you can see the Northern Lights just about every night at a high enough latitude, with weak solar activity you won't see much more than a faint grey smudge on the horizon. Iceland is probably the cheapest place at the moment to go and see them - other places are Sweden, Norway and Finland.

This page http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Data/index.html gives space weather predictions/forecasts over periods of 3 hours, 3 days and 27 days. You are looking for a kp index of at least 2 to see something interesting, 3 and upwards can be quite spectacular.
My suggestion is to go for a week if you can - a weekend trip can be ruined by a bit of cloudy weather regardless of where you go.

CDaniels1987

Shimrod wrote: »

To see the Northern Lights you need two separate factors to be favourable at the same time - clear skies and a bit of solar activity. Although you can see the Northern Lights just about every night at a high enough latitude, with weak solar activity you won't see much more than a faint grey smudge on the horizon. Iceland is probably the cheapest place at the moment to go and see them - other places are Sweden, Norway and Finland.

This page http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Data/index.html gives space weather predictions/forecasts over periods of 3 hours, 3 days and 27 days. You are looking for a kp index of at least 2 to see something interesting, 3 and upwards can be quite spectacular.
My suggestion is to go for a week if you can - a weekend trip can be ruined by a bit of cloudy weather regardless of where you go.

Ah thanks I think I understand that. Yeah we would spend a week there I think, are there any other nice things to do in any of the places you can see them from?

Also am I right in thinking you can only see them in the winter time, or am I completely wrong on that?

Shimrod

There's plenty to do and see in Iceland if you like scenery and natural wonders, can't really comment on Sweden or Norway as I have never been. You need to travel between October and March - you want the longer nights to improve your chances of seeing them, but consider if you go in December you could have as little as 4 hours daylight which can be restrictive on daytime activities. Check out sunrise/sunsets using this link http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=211&month=12&year=2013&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1

torbrex

If my experience in Alaska at the end of August is anything to go by, 10 minutes after you give up standing in the freezing cold and head back to bed is the best time to see the lights.
I stayed up until 2am the first night there was a good forecast and 3:30 am the second night and both times I was told the next day that I missed the lights by 10 minutes and was shown photographs to prove it.
The second night I did see a glimmer of the Aurora so hung around for another hour but again the cold got the better of me and again I missed a spectacular event by 10 minutes, I was shown the photo's at breakfast by someone who came out of his cabin just as I was going into mine.
The sod never even thought to chap my door

CDaniels1987

Thanks for all your replies, I may try and get a week in March 2014, if not then will do it in October 2014.

Would be really nice if she gets to see them as it would be a surprise.

cubegame

Bear in mind that the Northern Lights are one instance where the camera DOES lie!

CDaniels1987

cubegame wrote: »

Bear in mind that the Northern Lights are one instance where the camera DOES lie!

Sorry but what do you mean by this?

Shimrod

Although you may have seen photographs like these http://spaceweathergallery.com/aurora_gallery.html don't expect that this is what will be seen by the naked eye. As mentioned in a earlier post, at low levels of activity you may see little more that a greyish green smudge on the horizon, and you generally won't see the vivid greens/reds that are depicted in these photographs - these photos have exposures of anywhere between 2 and 30 seconds to capture the colour.
Of course you could be lucky and be there the same time as a solar flare arrives. We had that good fortune October 2012 and were treated to a display of dancing, vivid greens right across the sky.

CDaniels1987

I am now thinking of taking the wife as a surprise for Valentines Day in February, however I am worried it will be a wasted trip if we don't get to see them.

Iceland seems the best place as there seems a lot of interesting things to do.... hmmmm

UserX

CDaniels1987 wrote: »

I am now thinking of taking the wife as a surprise for Valentines Day in February, however I am worried it will be a wasted trip if we don't get to see them.

Iceland seems the best place as there seems a lot of interesting things to do.... hmmmm

For a real treat you could also take her to the National Phallological Museum in Reykjavick