Iceland Tour Packages

FAQs - Everything you need to know

• What are Northern Lights?

  The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis are a spectacular natural phenomenon which appear as brilliant displays of lights across the earth’s night sky. These lights are mostly visible at the highest latitudes near the Northern hemisphere and appear as neon glows, moving arcs or as thin clouds in the sky. The word ‘Aurora’ is Latin for sunrise as well as the name of the Roman Goddess of the dawn, and ‘Borealis’ is the Greek name for the north wind.

• Why do the Northern Lights appear?

  All right, let’s put our science hats on! The Northern Lights are produced when the solar wind, which is made up of charged particles from the sun interacts with our atmosphere. The charged particles on collision with atoms and molecules in the earth’s atmosphere release little photons of light, which appear as rays of illuminated glowing neon lights like throwing dye in the sky - The Northern Lights. The science behind this phenomenon is indeed very fascinating and we recommend you to experience this in person on a Northern Light tour with Veena World.

• In what colours do the Northern Lights appear?

  The Northern Lights appear in different colours depending on the gases with which the solar particles collide. Generally they appear in colours of green, yellow, blue, purple, pink, and red. The most common colour is green, due to the impact of solar particles with oxygen atoms. Blue, purple, and pink are rarer to see and are associated with solar particles colliding with nitrogen atoms. Red is the rarest colour to see and is associated with solar particles hitting oxygen atoms but at a higher altitude above 150 miles.

• When is the best time to see Northern Lights?

  In order to see aurora, the sky must be dark, clear and with high solar activity. The best time to see the Northern Lights is during the Aurora season that is from late August to March in the Northern Hemisphere. During this time, the Arctic sky is dark enough for the Northern Lights to be visible in the right conditions. One has to be prepared to stay up late to witness the grandeur of the northern lights, as these are best viewed anytime from midnight up to sunrise.

• Which are the best places to see the Northern Lights?

  The best places to see the northern lights are countries located in the far northern hemisphere like Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Siberia. In the southern hemisphere this phenomenon is known as Aurora Australis, the southern lights, which are best viewed from Antarctica and parts of New Zealand from March to September.

• How long do the Northern lights appear in the sky on a given night?

  This fantastic natural display of light can last from 5 minutes to all night long, depending on the magnitude of the incoming solar winds.