I recommend buying a sturdy tripod for traveling in Sweden. The northern lights season begin in re already in August, but it is during the coldest, darkest months the phenomenon usually appears in all its glory. The activities present a chance of catching the elusive lights while trying out an exotic pastime. Theres a lot of information on that site, but basically, anything above a kp 5 (rare) will be visible down in southern Sweden, and anything above a kp 2 (more common) will be visible in the Abisko region. Wrap up warm as the winds up here can be bone-chilling even on mild evenings. The northern lights are best seen from Alaska Courtesy of Torfhus Retreat These cabins are located near Selfoss on Iceland's 'Golden Circle' of tourist sites (which includes the ingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and the Great Geysir We certainly didnt complain as it was quite an upgrade! Enjoy the Northern Lights show in the best way possible in a dog sled! Allison Green is a former educator turned travel blogger. Photographs bring out the colours with more intensity so even weak aurora can look impressive through the lens. The Northern lights in Sweden can be seen from roughly September to April. With lakes, mountains and empty wilderness on its doorstep its not only one of Swedens top ski resorts for both downhill and off-piste tracks, but theres a good chance of seeing the northern lights here too in winter. Usually, the northern lights are only visible in Swedens northern reaches. r/northernlights That was amazing to see! The Northern Lights in Sweden appear around the beginning of September (Kiruna) to around the end of March everywhere in Swedish Lapland. If theres a good amount of solar activity, it could be possible to see the northern lights as soon as it gets dark in the evening. In fact, from May 25 to July 19, the sun doesnt go downat allin Arctic Sweden (using Abisko as a reference point). Alternatively, the good-value SPiS Hotel & Hostel is a stylish budget option right in the centre of town, and close to the bus station. But close to the Earths poles, these particles interact with the geomagnetic field, creating light shows when the particles from the sun meet particles from the earth. There are webcams set up in the apartments linked to a university in Japan, so you can check out the weather conditions and solar activity before you arrive. Alternately, you can take the train from Stockholm to Kiruna or Abisko, which is a popular option but a little more expensive than flying though to be honest, I think if you consider the cost of getting to and from the airport in all directions, the train works out to be a better and more comfortable deal. The Peace & Quiet Hotel in Jokkmokk has fabulous self-contained glass cabins perched on the waterfront, with a wooden deck and panoramic views of the lake and the skies. However, there are a few things you can buy in advanceto make the experience more enjoyable. The actual lights take many forms. Fast moving solar wind flows from these coronal holes, consisting of a stream of charged particles, which typically take 2-3 days to reach the earth though this can be much faster following powerful solar flares or coronal mass ejections (CME). Its waterside location means that you can easily get into the Lule archipelago for good views of the lights from October through to March. It encompasses latitudes between60 and 75 degreesand takes in Iceland, northern parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, Canada and Alaska as well as southern Greenland. You might have to walk a little way outside the city for the best view, but And if you visit during the peak of summer, which runs from May to August, it is not going to get dark enough at night to see the lights. Meanwhile, your camera is able to take in light for longer than the split second that light registers in your eye. The cultural attractions of the capital city Reykjavik make for a great choice of base, although youll still need to travel away from the city lights in the evenings unless the forecast is strong. Treehotel, Harads: A unique Sweden Northern Lights hotel. They actually happen all year-round, but of course to see them, you need darkness and clear skies. The northern lights season when its dark enough to see the lights runs from September to early April. Prices here are extremely reasonable, but the rooms are quite small as a result, and the facilities are more akin to hostel than a hotel. During this once in a life time adventure you will spend your nights watching the northern lights dance overhead and your days will be filled with exciting adventures that can only be found in Lapland. Keep in mind that if you visit during the polar night, which runs roughly from December 7 to January 5, you wont have any daylight hours. If youre hoping to narrow it down, the absolute best time of the year for seeing the northern lights in Sweden is probably on either side of the winter. If there is an extraordinary amount of solar activity and an especially clear night, you may be able to catch the occasional glimpse of the lights from the Swedish capital. We have been in the solar minimum part of the cycle (which means fewer sunspots), but from the end of 2020 onwards the activity started to gradually ramp up and should reach a peak in 2024/25 (the solar maximum). The northern lights most commonly occur within the geographic area beneath the auroral oval. Aaaand heres some bad news: No matter what, the Northern lights are unpredictable, and while visiting Sweden on a budget is possible, it is still not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. To combat this, youll want to bring several back-up batteries. Mysterious Northern Lights over Lapland, North Sweden, 200km inside the Arctic Circle. | Get information about COVID - 19 in Iceland & Canada. On many cameras, that is somewhere between f.2 and f.4. Yes. Instead, I recommend planning your trip based on what activities you want to do outside of seeing the lights. Take the time to read your camera manual and attempt some simple night photos at home before your trip. In fact, sometimes when the activity is weak or only just beginning its hard to tell if you are seeing wisps of cloud or the aurora. You need a camera which you can change all the settings on:namely, you need to be able to adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. The Northern Lights appear in Sweden, from around the beginning of September in Kiruna to around the end of March all over Swedish Lapland. Kiruna and Lule (where the Northern Lights may be seen from) are the last two habitats of human civilization in northern Sweden. | Registered Office: 2nd Floor, One Dorking Office Park, Station Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1HJ Registered in England and Wales No. Coastal areas are often cloudier, which gives the edge to inland areas. There are a couple of things you can do to avoid standing around in the snow with frozen fingers, waiting for something to happen. While you may think you can hold still for 2 seconds, trust me your hands shake naturally (and will do so even more in the snow!) In over 38 years experience of arranging holidays to see the northern lights weve discovered the best places to view, Our collection of self drive holidays offer the perfect combination of flexibility to explore at your own pace with the. You wont be staying in Abisko National Park itself (my preference) but it is a great location nonetheless, easily walkable to town where you can buy groceries and other necessities. In general, the chance of seeing the Rovaniemi Northern Lights on clear nights as around 40%, which may not sound like much but is actually very good! It has good-value accommodation in bunk-beds, family rooms and simple apartments, plus a sauna and sun terrace for admiring the views. And above 200 km, oxygen atoms glow red when reacting with charged particles from the sun. Its easy to reach by air, its safe to travel around, and it has lots of interesting sights to take in as you search for the perfect aurora. Much of the trail runs through prime Northern lights spotting territory. Some of the best spots in Sweden for hunting the lights are the northern areas of the country, and generally anywhere north of the arctic circle. Its a challenging place to get to for independent travelers, so the station offers shuttle transport from Kiruna and also from Narvik in Norway. The apartments have their own restaurant plus a communal sauna from where you can watch the lights. Well, if youre trying hard to take nice pictures of the northern lights, the last thing you want is to be holding onto a torch. The longer you stay, the better your chances of seeing the Northern lights, so if you can stay for 5 days or better yet a week in the North, then all the better. The rooms hold a temperature of between -5 to -8 degrees Celsius and each room features individual hand-carved ice furnishings by international artists. In our 38 years experience of arranging holidays to see the northern lights weve discovered the best places to view this incredible phenomenon. Most people want to see the Northern lights as part of a winter-themed trip, combining it with activities such as dog-sledding, visiting with reindeer, snow-shoeing, and ice-trekking. That means youll have plenty of time to try and spot the northern lights at night, but will also be able to get out and about during the day, admiring the beautiful scenery, which will almost certainly be very snowy. Thats because that during the winter, the sun doesn't rise for several weeks. To get a bit geeky on you, heres roughly how it works. For instance, looking at both the Kp-index and weather forecast may help planning your evening activities over your break. The northern lights are also known as the aurora borealis, meaning light of dawn. So if you are super tight on time, or the thought of being on a train that long makes you antsy, you may prefer flying. The northern lights happen year-round. One thing to considering when trying to photograph the Northern lights is that your camera batteries will drain faster than you ever thought possible same with your phone if youre using that as a remote when shooting. Ideally, the best time to view the northern lights is between September and late March, although we have viewed them as early as late-August. 30 Unique Things To Do In Kyiv, Ukraines Lovable Capital City, An Epic Week in Icelands West: An Itinerary for 7 Days in Iceland. Also, since its a large city, if the aurora does appear visibility tends to be poor due to light pollution. Theoretically, the more hours of darkness there are, the higher your chance of seeing the Northern lights is. Like I said, dont expect cheap in Sweden, but at the same time, you can find a variety of accommodation options that are suitable for different budgets. The types of aurora that appear in Sweden take many forms, and what you end up seeing (and hopefully photographing) will depend on a whole range of factors from the intensity of the solar activity overhead, to the place where you happen to be. Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she grew up, she has also lived in Prague, Sofia, and New York City. Unlike regular white light, a soft red light will preserve your night vision and let you enjoy the lights at their best. Enjoy this post? If youre lucky itll be minutes, but it may take much, much longer for the aurora to appear. If seeing the northern lights is high up on your bucket list, Sweden is a very good place to start. Can While getting away from artificial light is recommended, a strong display can often be seen from the city streets. are visible the more solar activity is taking place, so the brighter and more Arrive in northern Sweden in the depths of winter, when the sky barely brightens at all and the sun is down around the clock, and the chances for seeing the lights are greatly improved. The Sony A6000/A7R III both have the capability to turn your smartphone into a remote. If you dont have proper winter gear, you will definitely want to buy it beforehand, as consumer goods in Sweden are quite expensive and you will pay a huge premium on clothing you buy in Sweden compared to what you can buy on Amazon back home. Here are some of our favourite free places for seeing the lights in Sweden. From late October to mid-February the sun stays below the horizon in the Svalbard archipelago. Well, the big chunk of the country that stretches north from roughly Jokkmokk to the northern border with Norway is usually considered the best area of Sweden for watching the northern lights, with regular displays overhead throughout the winter. Basically, your eyeball is taking in light at, well the speed of light. Most commonly the aurora seen will be green or whitish, but depending on the strength of the activity, pinks and reds are also visible to the naked eye. The good news is that huge tracts of northern Sweden fall within the sweet spot where the northern lights appear fairly regularly. With two amazing, well-stocked kitchens (truly the best of any facility Ive ever stayed at), tons of areas to lounge around in, extremely reasonably priced breakfast and lunch buffets, and two of their own saunas, STF is in my opinion the best place to stay in Northern Sweden. The best places to spot the Northern Lights are away from the lights of the city centres where the nights are darker. Because of this, September-October and February-March are generally considered the high seasons among aurora chasers. It is far cheaper to pay for a Northern lights tour than a whole nother trip up North! What a lot of people dont know, though, is that this hotel has both cold rooms made of ice and traditional hotel rooms called warm rooms which are much more affordably priced. Powerful storms on our suns surface send particles through our solar system some of which make it our own pale blue dot, Earth. You may opt-out by. Its far from dark all day, but the long winter nights give northern lights hunters far more time to catch a glimpse of the dancing green lights than at other times of the year and in other locations. Because Sweden is a bit sheltered from the Atlantic by Norway, which acts as a buffer (in my highly scientific understanding), you have more clear nights and therefore a better chance of seeing the Northern lights.
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