Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate]
![Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Aurora Borealis](/assets/images/northern_lights_in_europe_in_late_december_duplicate_0.jpeg "Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Aurora Borealis")
Possible Duplicate:
When and where do I have the highest chance of seeing auroras?
What is the best place to see northern lights in Europe in late December? By best I mean (a) have the highest probability (b) the actual spectacle is the most spectacular.
Best Answer
The likelihood of an aurora occuring at all, as well as its intensity, corresponds pretty directly to latitude, so the further north, the better. On top of that, the further north you are, the longer the nights are in winter (up to 24 hours beyond the arctic circle), which improves your chances - and offsets the fact that auroras are more common around the equinoctes.
The second factor is cloud cover - the aurora happens far above the troposphere and will thus be completely obscured by clouds. I found a meteorological paper that shows statistics for mean cloud cover, and if I read it correctly the likelihood of cloud cover in northern Europe during winter is the lower the further east you go, but always above 50% unless you approach the Ural Mountains. The data is from the 1970s though.
Altogether, it sounds like places in northern Scandinavia and somewhat inland, like Kiruna, might be your best bet.
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![Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Brown Cottage Under Aurora Borealis](/assets/images/northern_lights_in_europe_in_late_december_duplicate_1.jpeg "Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Brown Cottage Under Aurora Borealis")
![Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Abstract of vibrant glowing fireworks exploding high in black sky late at night](/assets/images/northern_lights_in_europe_in_late_december_duplicate_2.jpeg "Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Abstract of vibrant glowing fireworks exploding high in black sky late at night")
![Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Aurora Borealis](/assets/images/northern_lights_in_europe_in_late_december_duplicate_3.jpeg "Northern lights in Europe in late December [duplicate] - Aurora Borealis")
Where can you see Northern Lights in December?
What are the best places to see the Northern Lights?Where is the best place in Europe to see the Northern Lights?
The best places to see the aurora borealis are the Nordic countries of Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, which lie within or near the Arctic Circle. You could also look for them in Russia, Alaska, and Canada's northwest territories.Which country has the most Northern Lights?
1. Iceland. Unlike other places where you can see the Northern Lights, Iceland is the only location where you can spot the Borealis from almost anywhere in the country as long as you're outside Reykjavik.Can you see Aurora Borealis in Germany?
With a large stretch of coastline along its northern border, Germany is a surprising but reasonable European destination to see the northern lights.Northern lights: what they don't tell, but you need to know!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Frans van Heerden, Stefan Stefancik, Damir Mijailovic, stein egil liland