Spots within the “normal” northern aurora oval include places like Iceland, northern Norway, northern Canada, and central Alaska.The Northern Lights are called the aurora borealis, while the Southern Lights are called the aurora australis.

Meaning when the Northern Lights are active, so are the Southern Lights.

Auroral ovals exist over both of Earth's poles, and are thought to mirror each other.

Here are some quick, fun facts about them: The “Lights” are caused by charged particles given off by the sun during solar storms interacting with the gases in earth's atmosphere. In simplest terms, the aurora borealis is a phenomenon that happens in the night sky.

There are plenty of myths surrounding seeing the Northern Lights, and I'm here to dispel a few of them for you.

Not all my forays have been successful (I've yet to see them in Iceland despite two separate winter trips there), but I've learned a lot about this phenomenon along the way.Īnd that includes learning all the things that people tell you about seeing the Northern Lights that just aren't true. I've been on a couple Northern Lights-seeking missions in the past few years. It's that time of year again – the time when people travel to the far northern reaches of the world in hopes of seeing the elusive aurora borealis the Northern Lights. Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission.

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