Northern Lights: How Not To Miss The Aurora During ‘Solar Maximum’

Admit it — you missed the Northern Lights. That best-in-23-years display of auroras worldwide in mid-May was followed by an almost as impressive burst in mid-October, but for everyone who saw it and photographed it, millions missed it.

According to NASA and NOAA, the sun is now in its “solar maximum” period, which means a more intense solar wind and, ultimately, a higher chance of more southerly Northern Lights for at least the next year — and maybe the next two or three years.

However, the Northern Lights get that name for a simple reason — they are most common, and indeed the most impressive, around the Arctic Circle.

With that in mind, here are some general tips on how to see Northern Lights tonight and throughout the current season:

1. Travel North

Should you stay put and wait for the aurora to find you? No — if you decide to wait for the Northern Lights to come to you, you could be waiting a lifetime. If you can afford it, go as far north as possible, ideally to about 65 degrees north latitude, where the auroral oval typically sits.

Places like northern Norway, northern Sweden, northern Finland, Iceland, Alaska and northern Canada offer not more frequent opportunities but get the best views of the aurora overhead. It’s here where you’ll get the “wow” factor from seeing the auroral corona above your head. That’s a far more dramatic view than the distant displays now regularly being glimpsed from the U.S. and Europe.

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2. Don’t Waste Time

Time your trip during the solar maximum, which experts think has already begun — and will last through 2025. This will likely increase the frequency and intensity of northern lights displays. “There’s the potential at any phase of the solar cycle, but the frequency increases when you’re at the solar maximum phase,” said Lisa Upton, co-chair of Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel and lead scientist at Southwest Research Institute, in a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 15. “We expect to be in that maximum phase for at least the next six months to a year — maybe even a little bit longer — so there’s a higher probability of intense geomagnetic storms during that phase.”

To maximize your chances of witnessing the aurora borealis, the key is getting as far north as possible during the active solar cycle.

3. Check The Space Weather Forecasts

The best time to see the aurora is typically during the fall and winter months when it's darker at night, but always keep an eye on space weather forecasts. Reliable places to check the latest forecasts include SpaceWeather.com, Dr. Tamitha Skov’s YouTube channel and, for general information, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center’s Aurora Dashboard. Be ready to head out at a moment’s notice if conditions look favorable.

4. Have A Dark Location In Mind

Get as far away from city lights as possible to maximize your chances of seeing the aurora because they’re more impressive in a dark sky. Use a light pollution map or the Dark Sky Place finder to find a suitable location away from city lights. Prioritize a dark northern horizon since that's probably where they’ll be visible (don’t, for example, observe from a dark sky destination just south of a huge city). Dress warmly and have a plan for how you’ll get home safely.

5. Take A Northern Lights Cruise

Unless you’re lucky enough to have an intense display of aurora above your backyard on a clear night, chasing the aurora can be a logistics nightmare. So consider taking a Northern Lights cruise, which typically ply the waters around countries in the aurora zones, such as northern Norway, Iceland and Alaska. Along with seeing the Northern Lights from the deck, these cruises also offer instructions on photographing the aurora using a camera and a smartphone. You'll also likely get a wake-up call if the aurora appears during the night.

6. Be Patient And Persistent

Aurora hunts often fail. It may take multiple trips to finally see a spectacular northern lights show, as displays can be unpredictable. To increase your chances of seeing a good aurora display, don’t get discouraged if the first attempt doesn'’t work out.

Northern Lights Vs. Southern Lights

Although some impressive displays have been much farther south than is typical in 2024, the colored lights are most frequently seen around the Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle.

The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are most easily seen from September through March from across Alaska, northern Canada, northern Scandinavia and northern Russia, purely because there are more hours of darkness and darker nights.

The Southern Lights (aurora australis) can be glimpsed most easily between March and September south of New Zealand. The relative lack of landmass in the southerly regions of the Southern Hemisphere makes the aurora australis generally more difficult to see than the Northern Lights.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.