Contrary to popular belief, you dont need to travel north of the arctic circle to see the lights. Dear aurora enthusiast, here is a dashboard for all of you aurora hunters trying to see the northern lights tonight. Thanks to a minor geomagnetic storm, the northern lights may be visible in parts of the northern united states and across canada on wednesday night. Northern parts of states like montana, north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, michigan, maine, and alaskaand, of course, the vast majority of canadawill be able to see the northern lights tonight. We tried to pick 12 spots in each of the 12 states where you can see the northern lights in the usa. Video cant quite capture the majesty of the northern lights, although it comes close, but tonight, the northern part of the us may be able to see. There are numerous spots to view the northern lights in greenland, named a top 2019 destination by national geographic, including the area of kangerlussuaq, as well as ilulissat, disko bay, and nuuk. Tonight the northern lights are making one of their uncommon appearances in the continental united states were jealous, alaska, okay. Theres more than one set location to see the northern lights in minnesota. With so many other activities unavailable, its fortunate that stargazing remains a great. On wednesday night, areas of the northern united states or canada may be lucky enough to see the northern lights, or aurora borealis, according to. Many americans and canadians have a great chance to see the northern lights on friday night and early saturday morning.
What is the best month to see northern lights in iceland. The northern lights might be the only absolute, must see bucket list travel item that exists in the sky. Monday night, the kp is expected to be between 4 and 5. Or book a room in a quaint bed and breakfast for a cozier experience. Even as you plan your trip around the northern lights, youll find maines other charming qualities angling for the spotlight. Northern lights live cam watch the aurora borealis. The aurora borealis have been putting on a show all week. We are hoping for dark nights over there so we can watch the phenomenon on this highdefinition webcam, which includes local time in fairbanks. We have booked flights throughout the usa last minute to get the best.
This natural light display is sure to take your breath away, and there are many locations. These are the best places to see the northern lights in 2020. There are also plenty of options for good aurora viewing in north america. With its sparse population and cold winters, northern michigan offers the perfect conditions for viewing the aurora borealis. Northern lights tours are great because the tour operators have been. The ovation aurora forecast model shows the intensity and location of the aurora predicted for the time shown at the top of the map. Northern lights will be visible in parts of the united. The university of alaska ranks the intensity of tonight s lights at four out of 10, or active auroral activity.
Alaska, idaho, maine, michigan, minnesota, montana, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, washington, wisconsin, and vermont. My quest to see the northern lights began in september 2011 and weve been. According to abc 57, people in the following states will have the best chance to see the aurora borealis. The 12 best places to see the northern lights in the usa. Its a good sign if you see a thick aurora band with some areas of light yellow, orange or, better yet, red on this map as opposed to just a thin or transparent band with only dark green. So find an observation location that doesnt have a light pollution to the north. Thursday for viewers in alaska, canada and some areas of the northern u. This weekend, the northern lights could be visible in the northern united states. The unique occasion is the result of a solar flare on the surface of the sun. A solar storm is expected to reach earth today, wednesday, march 14, and last through thursday, march 15. Planning your northern lights trip and want to get the best advice. T ypically youll need to travel to iceland, alaska, or the northern reaches of scandinavia to see the northern lights, but tonight you might be able to witness the aurora borealis from the northernmost parts of the continental united states the national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa issued a geomagnetic storm watch for the night of september 11, due to the anticipated. Tonights live northern lights forecast extreme iceland.
Many locations offer guided tours to see the aurora borealis, or you can simply book lodgings and venture out over the course of several nights when youre. The best places to see the light display in northern canada in addition to norway, sweden and finland, although during moments of highly active solar flares the lights. Heres where to look for the northern lights in the u. Having said that, there is so much to see and do in northern scandinavia that 24 hours of. The national oceanic and atmospheric administration said the lights will be best seen on saturday and sunday due to geomagnetic storm activity.
Northern lights titled the golden compass in north america and some other countries is a youngadult fantasy novel by philip pullman, published in 1995 by scholastic uk. The northern lights will be visible in parts of the us. Lights over laplands 2020 abisko aurora tours click here for more. Witnessing the northern lights is a transformational bucketlist experience that many people wait yearseven a. United states as well as scotland also occasionally see the northern lights. Where can you see the northern lights in the us tonight. The northern lights will be on display over the us tonight. To see the northern lights you need dark skies and from earlyapril until lateaugust, the aurora may be blazing across the arctic firmament but it is visible only to scientific equipment, as the skies are just too light for the human eye to see the show. Set in a parallel universe, it features the journey of lyra belacqua to the arctic in search of her missing friend, roger parslow, and her imprisoned uncle, lord asriel, who has been conducting experiments. Given the right conditions and viewing locale, these dancing bars of light might shimmer right over head, ranging from subtle green columns to vast red curtains that fill the entire sky. So if youre in the aurora borealis path tonight, dont miss a glimpse of natures light show.
While they are famous for dazzling across the night sky, the northern lights are actually influenced by the activity of the sun. Northern lights tours in alaska best aurora viewing. The northern lights or aurora borealis is a natural phenomenon that can. The northern lights are likely to be a faint display in the northern sky from the u. The aurora borealis is one of the most beautiful wonders of the earth. The best months are february, march, october, and november, but the northern lights last from late august until april. Heres how to see the northern lights from the united states tonight more people in the united states might get a chance to see the aurora borealis wednesday nightwithout having to book a. Check out our range of unique northern lights tours here. Other unique aurora sightseeing tours include dog sledding and. My wife and i are interested in seeing the aurora borealis. Video cant quite capture the majesty of the northern lights, although it comes close, but tonight, the northern part of the us may be able to see it just by stepping outside and looking up. Read on to learn the best places where you can see the aurora in america. This hd camera in churchill, canada captures the worlds most magical and stunning natural phenomenon.
Still, theres a slight north american bias even today in your chance of seeing the lights. The northern lights are more formally known as auroras, and are caused by interactions between the solar wind and the earths magnetic field. For those who have always watched to catch a view of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, but cant pop over to scandinavia, canada or alaska anytime soon you may be in luck. Although the northern lights occur yearround, according to, late winter and early spring are the best seasons to see the lights. People in the northern reaches of the us may be treated to a dazzling lights show this weekend, courtesy of the northern lights. How to see the northern lights in the united states. The northern lights may be visible as far as chicago and new york over the weekend, meteorologists have predicted.
Explosion of solar energy will create northern lights in. T ypically youll need to travel to iceland, alaska, or the northern reaches of scandinavia to see the northern lights, but tonight you might be able to witness the aurora borealis from the northernmost parts of the continental united states the national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa issued a geomagnetic storm watch for the night of september 11, due. The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a. World of greenland offers a 2hour guided tour with hotel pickup and dropoff to see the lights in ilulissat. Where to see the northern lights in the us tonight if it. Rodney viereck of the national oceanic and atmosphere administration noaa in the us explained to lonely planet that the sun goes through a roughly 11year cycle, which includes three to four years of solar maximum. This means the aurora will be most visible to those in alaska, montana, north dakota, minnesota, parts of wisconsin, michigan and northern maine, as well as canadas southernmost territories. Heres how to see the northern lights from the united. A solar storm could make the northern lights visible over. Best months for the northern lights 50 degrees north. You might be able to see the northern lights in the us.
How and where to see the northern lights in 2020 lonely. This means lights will be dimmer and occur less frequently over the next decade, with 2019 and 2020 predicted as the lowest point for aurora sightings. The northern lights could be seen across minnesota this weekendtheres a chance minnesotans and even those near the twin cities could see the northern lights this weekend. The aurora borealis can dominate the sky over alaska with dazzling, magical displays unsurpassed anywhere in the world. According to multiple national weather agencies you might be able to see the dancing lights in six states across the u. You can see the see the northern lights over the us tonight. The best places to see the northern lights thrifty nomads. Knowing this number, you can see what areas will be able to see the northern lights. See live northern lights forecast automatically updated. From the united states and canada to norway and iceland, these are the 12 best places to see the northern lights. Theres another chance to see the northern lights tonight. For example, for tonight anchorage is predicted to have a nice aurora display.
Heres a guide on when, where and how to see the northern lights. The worlds best places to see the northern lights travel channel. Fairbanks, a city with over 32,000 inhabitants in the u. A minor solar storm will create northern lights in parts of the us and canada it will start at 4pm et tonight, with peak viewing from 10pm through 1am the display is created when the storms. You might see the northern lights in the united states tonight. This probability forecast is based on current solar wind conditions measured at l1, but using a. According to the uaf, the best time to watch for the northern lights is three or four hours around midnight, but the aurora can occur any time throughout a night if you want to take pictures of. Live stream the northern lights tonight aurora borealis. The northern lights are one of the most aweinspiring sights on the planet. A minor solar storm has been causing the northern lights to appear over several of americas northernmost states this week. Check the conditions before you go to see the northern lights on your tour of iceland. Alaska is accessible by flights from north america. The size of a visible aurora will be bigger than what is shown on this map, because the map gives the overhead location of the aurora. The northern lights aurora borealis guide to iceland.