posted by Travel Cat on Jan 1
Due to some great solar activity at the moment - the Aurora Borealis should put on a great show for your January holidays!
Anywhere in the North could have the chance of seeing these eerie green or red wavy Northern Lights filling the night sky, although popular sites in Iceland, Canada, Norway and Russia tend to publicise their displays more.
They occur throughout the year, but you cannot really see them when the sun is in the sky, so winter is the best time - and some of the winter scenes are the best for photography. However, anytime up until March should still offer you a glimpse of these mysterious celestial light shows!
They can occur in short bursts several times throughout the night, or can last for several hours depending on a host of other factors - with viewings around midnight resulting in the best shows!
What Are They?
As with most things awe inspiring, they have quite a boring origin. The lights are created by particles in the ionosphere that become ‘excited’ by solar energy in close proximity to the Earth magnetic fields.
The same phenomenon occurs in the southern hemisphere - creating the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights - and there have also been auroras on other planets! However, a vacation for this January sort of rules that last one out!
Anyway - it doesn’t matter how they get there - you just need to see them for yourself, they truly are amazing. Just search online for some images of them then imagine how much better it would be to be standing under then yourself!
Where To Stay?
Taber Holidays in Scandinavia offer trips into the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights. They offer more than 10 different January holidays to see the displays including boat trips that also visit whales, icebergs and even include dog-sledding!
Or look at the trips to Iceland and Lapland that Discover the World offer this winter. They offer a choice of 3 day trips to a variety of lodges and hotels. Simply choose your destination for a virtually guaranteed light show!
Or visit with a little niche company in Canada: Alta-Can Aurora Tours. They offer inside viewing of the northern lights for your comfort with professional photographers, toilets and hot drinks - as well as a whole host of additional experiences you can become involved with during the daylight hours.
This is obviously only a taster of what you can experience - so get looking at the pictures, then think about visiting the arctic circle yourself - but wrap up warm!
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