Exalted as one of the world’s most stunning sights, it’s no secret that witnessing the Northern Lights is a constant on everyone’s bucket list, and even more so, on their Finland bucket list. A phenomenon born from the interaction of the Sun’s particles and the Earth’s magnetic field, these spellbinding auroras are only visible from the Earth’s North and South Poles. Situated right above the Arctic Circle, Lapland is the best place to see the Northern Lights while one is in Finland.
What Are the Northern Lights?
Before the 18th century, the Northern Lights spun tales of magic, rather than science. While each culture has their own interpretation of the Northern Lights in local mythology, the Finnish call it “revontulet”, which directly translates to “fox fire”. The story goes like this: As the legendary arctic fox dashes through the snow tundra, it swipes up snow and sweeps its bushy tail back and forth — the sparks created from this action would rise up into the sky, giving life to the Northern Lights.
As we have since discovered, the Northern Lights, alternatively known as Aurora Borealis, is born from a stunning scientific phenomenon. Occasionally, the sun will emit a concentration of electromagnetic matter called a Coronal Mass Ejection, or more commonly referred to as solar wind. Speeding towards the Earth, the solar wind gets deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field, and owing to the magnetic field lines, the solar wind particles travel towards the poles, where they eventually enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
The atmosphere is made up of gases, and due to the large speeds at which the solar wind particles have been travelling at, they collide with the atmosphere’s gaseous particles and this causes a reaction: Energy is transferred to the gaseous particles, and as the particles lose the energy again, they are released as little bursts of light which collectively make up the Northern Lights.
Best Time to See the Northern Lights
As a rule of thumb, the occurrence of the Northern Lights is closely tied to solar activity. However, since it is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it is difficult to predict on a daily basis. Scientists have discovered that the sun goes through activity cycles of around 11 years, which have a Solar Maximum (highest solar activity) and a Solar Minimum (lowest solar activity) each.
Despite that, there has been no research suggesting that any particular time of the year is more receptive to the occurrence of auroras. Though, in the summer, auroras are rendered invisible to the human eye and thus, visitors are recommended to plan their Northern Light viewing trips during the colder months of September through March.
Following that, auroras are better seen in the dark, so the optimal timeframe for viewing the Northern Lights would be after sunset and before sunrise, with the hours differing depending on the season.
Popular Aurora Viewing Spots
To glimpse this majestic display of Northern Lights, one has to be in the Northern Hemisphere and within the Aurora Zone, which stretches over an area of 2,000 to 3,000 kilometres from the magnetic pole, or at a latitude of 66 to 69 degrees north. Located right on the southern rim of the aurora oval, Finland is one of the best destinations for aurora hunting, especially when one travels up north into Lapland.
Rovaniemi is Lapland’s capital, and its status as a transportation hub makes getting around the city convenient and efficient. However, being a connected and bustling city, it does contribute to quite a bit of light pollution which may affect the visibility of auroras. One workaround is to take the effort to drive a little further out of the city centre into the surrounding dark wilderness — Arktikum Beach is a popular viewing spot, though visitors can book a tour for a more comprehensive viewing, complete with an experienced guide.
Not forgetting , many visitors have journeyed far and wide to spend a night (or a few) in one of its famed glass-roofed igloos. Situated in the northernmost region of Finland, Saariselkä sits well within the Arctic Circle and is an aurora hotspot. Doubling as a ski resort, visitors will have plenty to keep their hands full while waiting for the sun to set. Despite the village being quite sparsely populated, tourist activity remains high, and the local Sámi people offer guided tours to visitors who are interested to be introduced to their culture, history and art. Nature in this village is unspoilt and boasts of pristine wilderness; With stunning snowscapes and picturesque views, visitors will surely be charmed — and not just by the Northern Lights.
Blessed with one of the best geographical locations for aurora hunting, you definitely have to consider viewing the Northern Lights on your Finland agenda. In the still dark of the night, the colours spill across the sky — making the feeling of travelling to the edge of the world a truly magical experience.
