Northern Lights And Best Places To See Them

The otherworldly northern lights, or aurora borealis, begin high in Earth's atmosphere, at altitudes from 60 to more than 250 miles. Auroras are formed due to disturbances in magnetosphere caused by solar wind, which results in colorful, dancing light show. The display occurs in many colours, although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yollow, green, blue and violet have been reported. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of lights to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains, or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.

7 Magical Places To View Northern Lights

• Iceland : Both the longitude and latitude of the country favor aurora viewing, but the weather doesn't always cooperate. However, a good coastline road around the country lets you chase clear skies. The best northern lights can viewed from Kirkjufell mountain on the west coast. The Grotta Lighthouse is a popular viewing spot. When to go: Late August to early April.

• Fairbanks, Alaska : Fairbanks is the best place in the U.S. to take in the northern lights. It even has it's own forcast system and offers tours to take visitors far from city lights. When to go: Late August to mid-April.

• Yellowknife, Canada : This Northwest Territories capital on the shores of Great Slave lake boosts in own Aurora Village and special activities for northern lights tourism. Elsewhere in the country, Wood Buffallo and Jasper National Park are popular viewing spots. When to go: Mid-August to late April.

• Tromso, Norway : Spectacular auroras can be seen from the village of Ersfjordbotn, 12 miles from Tromso. When to go: Mid-September to late March.

• Northern Sweden and Finland : Swedens northwest town of Kiruna and Finland's Lapland region, Rovaniemi serves as a gateway for nearby attractions. When to go: Mid-September to late March.

• Greenland : When to go: Mid-August to late April in the south and late August to mid-April in Nuuk.

• Tasmania and New Zealand : When to go: Year around, but your best chances are near equinoxes.