Experience Finland’s Northern Lights: High up in the Arctic Circle

For the record, the aurora borealis - or “northern lights”, so called because they illuminate the sky from the north - looks somewhat different in real life compared to what you might have seen in photos. The strong green, violet, blue or even red tones are heavily enhanced by the long exposure of a camera. It is definitely worth going on a guided “Aurora Hunting Tour”. The experienced local guides are quick to spot the aurora borealis. It is a breathtaking sight, not least because the light seems at times to dance like curtains in the wind.

In simple terms, the aurora borealis forms when storms rage on the sun and charged particles hit the magnetic field of the earth’s atmosphere. The particles react with nitrogen and oxygen to produce colourful lights that are visible in the night sky. The light usually shines green, more rarely blue. Violet and red are the rarest colours and only appear when the solar storms are particularly intense. The lights are most visible when the sky is as dark as possible. You should therefore plan your trip in such a way as to incorporate plenty of moonless nights. Moonlight is very bright and can significantly diminish the colourfulness of the aurora borealis. An unobstructed full moon can even outshine them completely.