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The Northern Lights are one of nature’s greatest miracles. You’ve seen pictures of the aurora, and you dream of being a part of the pictures. Seeing the Northern Lights with the naked eye is a bucket list worthy vacation, and for many, the trip of a lifetime.
So what are the Northern Lights, how are they formed, where is the best place to see them? What is the KP number that you may have come across in your Northern Lights research and how should it be interpreted?
In its simplest form, the aurora is the natural phenomenon where solar particles enter Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s shield pushes these particles to the north and south poles, protecting the planet from solar flares.
These particles that bounce off the poles through the atmosphere are called Northern Lights in the North Pole and Southern Lights in the South Pole.
The video below contains very useful information about how the Northern Lights form and how they touch the Earth.
The Northern Lights can be observed in the northern hemisphere in Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Finland, Norway and the northern regions of Russia. The Northern Lights occur from 80 to 120 km above the earth’s surface.
You need to be far enough north to see the Northern Lights, so traveling to at least 62 degrees North will increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights with the naked eye.
You need three main factors to see the Northern Lights–darkness, a cloud-free sky, solar activity (measured from 0-9 on the KP Index).
You need to be far enough north to see the Northern Lights, so traveling to at least 62 degrees North will increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights with the naked eye.
The time period we call the Northern Lights season begins in the last week of August and ends the second week of April.
The rest of the year, daytime lasts much longer than night in northern countries and sometimes reaches 24 hours of daylight, or what we call the midnight sun. During this period of long days, it is almost impossible to see the Northern Lights with the naked eye.
There are plenty of places around the world to see the Northern Lights, but Abisko in Swedish Lapland has a unique climate that makes it one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. Thanks to the Abisko’s microclimate, the region has the driest air in Scandinavia. With drier air comes more cloud free nights that are required to see the Northern Lights.
You can find our detailed article on the best place to see the Northern Lights here.
In order for us to see the Northern Lights, particles that break away from the sun must enter the Earth’s atmosphere and an interaction must occur with other atmospheric particles. These interactions take place throughout the year. We measure the rate of atmospheric interactions with solar particles via the KP Index.
KP measurements range from 0 to 9, with higher numbers indicating stronger atmospheric interactions with these particles.
After the Northern Lights enter Earth’s atmosphere, they follow a ring-shaped path, which we call the aurora oval. As the KP number increases, the aurora oval expands, which tells us how large an area the Northern Lights affect.
The following KP map created for this gives us a very detailed explanation. According to the KP value each day, it means that you can see the Northern Lights on that line or in higher regions.
Unfortunately, the height of the KP measurement can disappoint many tourists. On a night with a high KP index, even if you are in a cloudless and dark area, the Northern Lights may not interact intensely and show themselves. For example, on a night with KP level 5, you might find many people returning home without seeing any Northern Lights.
The KP Index does not mean much to an experienced Northern Lights tour guide. The reason is quite simple, the aurora is a magnificent natural phenomenon that is unpredictable even with a KP indicator.
Although the KP Index shows daily interaction, it doesn’t show instant interaction. So the solar particles that come into contact with the Earth may not show interaction at any given moment throughout the day.
The best thing you can do to see the Northern Lights is to go out and look at the sky. Even if Abisko, where our center is located, is at KP 1, we often watch the Northern Lights dance.
The Northern Lights will appear differently based on how you are looking at them. You can see them four different ways.
1 – NORTHERN LIGHTS THAT YOU CAN ONLY SEE ON CAMERA
In fact, this phase is always the first time the northern lights appear. The lights look like clouds, but will appear green on cameras. This is because cameras can collect light better than the naked eye.
2 – LONG LINES THAT LOOK LIKE CLOUDS AND CAN BE DISTINGUISHED BY THE NAKED EYE
This is one of the most visible phases of the northern lights. Your eyes can now discern the difference between what is cloud and what is aurora. In this phase, the lights will look even greener on the camera.
3 – NORTHERN LIGHTS APPEAR VERY EARLY WITH THE NAKED EYE, RADIATING EVERYWHERE
These moments will be one of the most beautiful experiences of your life, and the Northern Lights look very clearly green with the naked eye. It is possible to see the Northern Lights coming from many directions, not just a single line.
4 – NORTHERN LIGHTS DANCING
The Northern Lights’ dance is the biggest miracle that nature has to offer. If the intensity is quite high, the Northern Lights will look more vivid to the naked eye (in greens and pinks) than the photos and will dance at a speed of 1200 km per hour.
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