In search of the Northern Lights

Those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the elusive Aurora Borealis will never forget the allure of its celestial glow. Often described as the ‘greatest light show on Earth’, the Northern Lights are a naturally occurring wonder produced when electrically-charged particles from the sun collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, reacting with oxygen and nitrogen atoms. What results is an emblazoned sky streaked in hues of pink, green, yellow, blue and violet. The fleeting spectacle can be tricky to spot though, so travelbulletin has come up with a few tips to help you tick this one off the bucket list. September and March as a fantastic time for aurora hunting, with frequent outbursts of auroral sub-storms, or plumes of light, commonly sighted. Complete darkness and clear skies are needed when attempting to chase the celestial display, but make sure you rug up warm as the best time to view it is often between the hours of 10pm and 2am local time. in immersing themselves in a polar region. During the polar winter, the entire area is cloaked in darkness for 24-hours across 28 days, meaning the lights can even be seen during the daytime. Many travellers also visit Reykjavik in Iceland for the light show. In fact, just earlier this year the Reyjavik Council announced its decision to switch off street lights in selected parts of the Icelandic capital just so those in the city could enjoy the swirling parade. In the US, Alaska’s Fairbanks city is another hot spot to see the Northern Lights. Whilst in some places we’d recommend you rug up warm, in Fairbanks the method of choice for aurora spotting is to strip down and soak up the glory in naturally formed hot springs.