When do the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) most vividly and frequently occur?
I'm planning a trip to northern Canada and Alaska and one of the things I'd most like to see are the northern lights. However, I can't seem to find any solid info on a time of year when they are most likely to be seen or when they would be the most vivid. What would the best time of year to travel to Alaska/Canada to see them?
Earth Sciences & Geology - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
They would be most vivid during an electromagnetic storm on the sun. Also, you would have to go in the winter during the long nights there, the aurora usually is poorly visible in the day
2 :
Northern (ans southern) lights are caused by storms on the sun sending charges particles of matter through space. When they hit the earth's Magnetic Field the cause a "glow". The Northern Lights are NOT seasonal, and can occur at any time of the year, and are pretty much unpredictable, UNLESS you know someone who "watches" the sun. like an astrophysicist. SOMETIME they can tell when the sun is going to "erupt", and possibly predict northern lights. So, no one can tell you "what time of year" is best to see them -- because they don't work that way.
3 :
i believe year around but only visible at the very north most part of the earth, probably only above artic circle...
4 :
The lights are always there, just not visible during daylight. Which rules out the summertime. Fairbanks is the best place to catch them because it's usually over Fairbanks a greater percentage of the time (the band moves) See this link for "solid info"
5 :
The aurora is formed when charged particles (electrons and protons) are guided by the Earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere near the poles. When these particles collide with atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere, primarily oxygen and nitrogen, some of the energy in these collisions is transformed into the visible light that characterizes the aurora. When there is a disturbance on the sun, such as a solar flare or coronal mass ejection, it can produce a disturbance in the solar wind. This in turn will cause a disturbance in the balance between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field. As a result, electrons and protons are accelerated within the magnetosphere. WHEN DO THEY OCCUR? The aurora is a near daily occurrence somewhere on Earth and there is almost always an aurora in the sky (both day and night, but in the daytime it is out-shined by sunlight). However, the following factors can increase your chance of seeing them: Time of Day: Because the intensity of the light in an aurora is low, it can only be seen at night. Furthermore, the most active and brilliant displays usually occur near midnight. Therefore, the best time to observe the aurora is, on average, between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Season: In the northern hemisphere, the best time to view an aurora is during the winter. At latitudes where auroras are common, it is typically light all night in the summer—so you rarely have warm weather and a good aurora. Furthermore, in most polar regions, the weather tends to be clear during the middle of winter—so often the best time to see an aurora is also the coldest. Sun Rotation: It takes the sun 27 days to rotate one time around its axis, so 27 days after an aurora display, the active region on the sun that caused the aurora will face Earth again. Although solar activity in that region on the sun might have decreased in the mean time, there is still a greater chance of aurora 27 days after the last period of increased auroral activity. Solar Activity: Auroral activity also correlates with the activity of the sun, which changes according to an 11-year solar cycle. In general, the more active the sun, the greater the number of auroras. Thus, auroral displays are more likely around the time of the solar maximum (when solar activity is high). Aurora displays remain frequent and strong for several years around solar maximum. During solar maximum, the auroras are not only more frequent and more active, but they also can come further south away from the poles (it should be noted, however, that bright and active auroras can be observed at any time during the solar cycle). Weather, the full moon, and light pollution also affect your ability to see aurora. Your best bet for seeing aurora is to get as close as you can to the position of the auroral oval, and as far away as you can from sources of artificial light and overcast skies. Tips on viewing the aurora can be found at NOAA's Space Environment Center.
Read more other entries :
About Can I see Aurora Borealis from Norway or Swe...
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
About Can I see Aurora Borealis from Norway or Sweden
Can I see Aurora Borealis from Norway or Sweden?
I am going to Norway and Sweden late March and want to see the Northern lights/Aurora Borealis. Unfortunately I am going to be in the southern parts near Bergen and Stockholm respectively. What are the chances I can see the Northern lights from these locations OR is there anywhere close to those locations that I would be able to travel to and see the lights?
Other - Europe - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Yeh well i personally saw it when i was in Norway :)
2 :
Well you'll have less of a chance of seeing them, the farther south you are, so if its a must to see them, i'd start looking for places to travel farther north.
3 :
You have to go to the north. I would recommend you the Ice hotel in Sweden that is the biggest Ice hotel in the world. You can see aurora from there, while sleeping in -5°C :) Can be funny experience. http://www.best-of-european-union.eu/2011/03/03/biggest-ice-hotel-in-the-world-sleep-well-in-5-c-sweden/
4 :
Yes, the northernmost Sweden/Norway are your best bets, completely away from disturbing city lights, though then again, as the daylight time is already increasing, it might be a bit too late to see them (plus that they cannot be predicted). Usually the best viewing time is between November and February.
5 :
Reality time...you will have very little chance of seeing the northern lights even in northern Norway and even less chance in Bergen or Stockholm. March is getting a bit late...the night sky doesn't get very dark and it gets lighter at night the further north you go. Bergen and Stockholm are too far south and Bergen is mostly cloudy anyway. and gets very wet. See the answer below for someone who get lost because of low cloud....on a well marked and very popular circular walk around Vidden, just beside Bergen. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100725104545AA9RGPq . . . .. Forget the 'Norway is good for Northern Lights' story....it's not the best at the moment and only the far north is good. Norway's tourist program has been very successful in spreading the northern lights story but Alaska and Canada have more sightings of aurorae than Norway does. They also have aurora hotels and mobile phone and email alerts as Finland has too but do you hear of them? This is for Aurora Kota and nearby attractions in Finland http://www.activitiesabroad.com/holidays/69/searching-for-the-aurora-borealis . .. Canada has a good aurora alert service and so have Alaska Finland, Norway and Sweden. http://corona-gw.phys.ualberta.ca/AuroraWatch/ Canada also now has the AuroraMAX camera online...use the links on here. http://www.techeye.net/internet/canadians-say-watch-the-northern-lights-online-eh . . Norway is very beautiful and is well worth a visit, but not specifically to see the lights just yet, which are happening there only rarely as in Sweden. For two years there were none at all....not even one in the entire world.. The Sun was unusually quiet for a long time. It's waking up but aurorae are still not common It can't be absolutely ruled out...but the chances are very small that you'll see one in any particular week for the coming month in Scandinavia.or when the sky is dark enough again in November, though it may be a bit better then than it is now. Here is the current Auroral Oval map from satellite data....for today. It's biased toward Canada and Alaska as it has been for a long time and will be for a long time yet because the magnetic pole is that side of the axial pole. Russia is at the top of the map and Scandinavia is to the right in the light blue bit. Mid blue is Zero. Yellow shows low power energetic particles, generally not powerful enough or in insufficient quantities to produce an aurora bright enough to see though there is a small chance of seeing one in very dark skies..... http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/pmapN.html . . . . Bad eh? In a couple of years it could be a lot better.....solar maximum is 2013...but right now it's bleak so just enjoy the landscape and the people you meet. You've got some great times coming up, even without the northern lights. Aurora Q two weeks ago...same sad story for aurora watchers. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110228011322AAZUN4o . . . .
6 :
You'd increase the chances a lot by going north, where March is actually said to be the best month for watching aurora, but you could better read and digest the information from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and then make your own conclusions and decisions: http://www.irf.se/Popular/?docid=1132 http://www.irf.se/Popular/?chosen=popular http://www.irf.se/Observatory/?link[All-sky%20camera]=Aurora_sp_statistics http://flare.lund.irf.se/rwc/aurora/
Read more other entries :
About I am thinking about moving to Aurora but I w...
I am going to Norway and Sweden late March and want to see the Northern lights/Aurora Borealis. Unfortunately I am going to be in the southern parts near Bergen and Stockholm respectively. What are the chances I can see the Northern lights from these locations OR is there anywhere close to those locations that I would be able to travel to and see the lights?
Other - Europe - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Yeh well i personally saw it when i was in Norway :)
2 :
Well you'll have less of a chance of seeing them, the farther south you are, so if its a must to see them, i'd start looking for places to travel farther north.
3 :
You have to go to the north. I would recommend you the Ice hotel in Sweden that is the biggest Ice hotel in the world. You can see aurora from there, while sleeping in -5°C :) Can be funny experience. http://www.best-of-european-union.eu/2011/03/03/biggest-ice-hotel-in-the-world-sleep-well-in-5-c-sweden/
4 :
Yes, the northernmost Sweden/Norway are your best bets, completely away from disturbing city lights, though then again, as the daylight time is already increasing, it might be a bit too late to see them (plus that they cannot be predicted). Usually the best viewing time is between November and February.
5 :
Reality time...you will have very little chance of seeing the northern lights even in northern Norway and even less chance in Bergen or Stockholm. March is getting a bit late...the night sky doesn't get very dark and it gets lighter at night the further north you go. Bergen and Stockholm are too far south and Bergen is mostly cloudy anyway. and gets very wet. See the answer below for someone who get lost because of low cloud....on a well marked and very popular circular walk around Vidden, just beside Bergen. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100725104545AA9RGPq . . . .. Forget the 'Norway is good for Northern Lights' story....it's not the best at the moment and only the far north is good. Norway's tourist program has been very successful in spreading the northern lights story but Alaska and Canada have more sightings of aurorae than Norway does. They also have aurora hotels and mobile phone and email alerts as Finland has too but do you hear of them? This is for Aurora Kota and nearby attractions in Finland http://www.activitiesabroad.com/holidays/69/searching-for-the-aurora-borealis . .. Canada has a good aurora alert service and so have Alaska Finland, Norway and Sweden. http://corona-gw.phys.ualberta.ca/AuroraWatch/ Canada also now has the AuroraMAX camera online...use the links on here. http://www.techeye.net/internet/canadians-say-watch-the-northern-lights-online-eh . . Norway is very beautiful and is well worth a visit, but not specifically to see the lights just yet, which are happening there only rarely as in Sweden. For two years there were none at all....not even one in the entire world.. The Sun was unusually quiet for a long time. It's waking up but aurorae are still not common It can't be absolutely ruled out...but the chances are very small that you'll see one in any particular week for the coming month in Scandinavia.or when the sky is dark enough again in November, though it may be a bit better then than it is now. Here is the current Auroral Oval map from satellite data....for today. It's biased toward Canada and Alaska as it has been for a long time and will be for a long time yet because the magnetic pole is that side of the axial pole. Russia is at the top of the map and Scandinavia is to the right in the light blue bit. Mid blue is Zero. Yellow shows low power energetic particles, generally not powerful enough or in insufficient quantities to produce an aurora bright enough to see though there is a small chance of seeing one in very dark skies..... http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/pmapN.html . . . . Bad eh? In a couple of years it could be a lot better.....solar maximum is 2013...but right now it's bleak so just enjoy the landscape and the people you meet. You've got some great times coming up, even without the northern lights. Aurora Q two weeks ago...same sad story for aurora watchers. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110228011322AAZUN4o . . . .
6 :
You'd increase the chances a lot by going north, where March is actually said to be the best month for watching aurora, but you could better read and digest the information from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and then make your own conclusions and decisions: http://www.irf.se/Popular/?docid=1132 http://www.irf.se/Popular/?chosen=popular http://www.irf.se/Observatory/?link[All-sky%20camera]=Aurora_sp_statistics http://flare.lund.irf.se/rwc/aurora/
Read more other entries :
About I am thinking about moving to Aurora but I w...
Thursday, July 1, 2010
About I am thinking about moving to Aurora but I work in Toronto. Does anyone know about travel times to and from.
I am thinking about moving to Aurora but I work in Toronto. Does anyone know about travel times to and from.?
Toronto - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
GO trains during commuter hours; GO bus to Union Station every hour; VIVA bus to Finch Station frequently; YRT to Richmond Hill every half hour. www.yrt.ca www.gotransit.com
2 :
DONT DO IT. the commute will be min 2 hrs, even longer during rush hour.
3 :
If you are driving it is a good hour or so to reach Toronto. By public transit, it's approximately an hour and a half, but the GO line is not very regular, even during the rush hour. However on the flip side, Aurora is a beautiful place to live, esp if you have a family - it's a great community with great amenities.
4 :
50 minutes on the GO bus or train. (I do this all the time)
Read more other entries :
About is it possible to travel from Chicago direct...
Toronto - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
GO trains during commuter hours; GO bus to Union Station every hour; VIVA bus to Finch Station frequently; YRT to Richmond Hill every half hour. www.yrt.ca www.gotransit.com
2 :
DONT DO IT. the commute will be min 2 hrs, even longer during rush hour.
3 :
If you are driving it is a good hour or so to reach Toronto. By public transit, it's approximately an hour and a half, but the GO line is not very regular, even during the rush hour. However on the flip side, Aurora is a beautiful place to live, esp if you have a family - it's a great community with great amenities.
4 :
50 minutes on the GO bus or train. (I do this all the time)
Read more other entries :
About is it possible to travel from Chicago direct...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
About is it possible to travel from Chicago direct to the Outlet Mall in Aurora by public transport
is it possible to travel from Chicago direct to the Outlet Mall in Aurora by public transport??
If so how do I do it??
Chicago - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
you could take the metra to the aurora station and from there take the pace bus service
2 :
Yes you can. Take the Metra / BNSF Railway from downtown Chicago at the Union Station and ride it until it ends in Aurora. From the train station you can take Pace Bus #533 to the mall. Take a look at Metra's website for train schedules, and if you go to Pace Bus's website for thier schdeule as well. Go luck, and have fun.
Read more other entries :
About Is jericho circle(aurora il) safe for a 16 y...
If so how do I do it??
Chicago - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
you could take the metra to the aurora station and from there take the pace bus service
2 :
Yes you can. Take the Metra / BNSF Railway from downtown Chicago at the Union Station and ride it until it ends in Aurora. From the train station you can take Pace Bus #533 to the mall. Take a look at Metra's website for train schedules, and if you go to Pace Bus's website for thier schdeule as well. Go luck, and have fun.
Read more other entries :
About Is jericho circle(aurora il) safe for a 16 y...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
About Is jericho circle(aurora il) safe for a 16 yr old to travel to alone
Is jericho circle(aurora il) safe for a 16 yr old to travel to alone?
I want to drive there myself. 16 year old girl. is this safe?
Chicago - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Aurora, IL isn't safe for anyone unless they have a gun.
2 :
I do not know what jericho circle is unless it has something to do with the part of Aurora. Will you be there for the day or staying with someone? I don't know if you want to travel yourself, but may need to watch at night.
Read more other entries :
About Is it possible to travel from Olongapo City ...
I want to drive there myself. 16 year old girl. is this safe?
Chicago - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Aurora, IL isn't safe for anyone unless they have a gun.
2 :
I do not know what jericho circle is unless it has something to do with the part of Aurora. Will you be there for the day or staying with someone? I don't know if you want to travel yourself, but may need to watch at night.
Read more other entries :
About Is it possible to travel from Olongapo City ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)