Prospects for northern lights in the next year

[jnb]

I don't normally pay attention to what's happening with the aurorae but a number of friends have suggested a reunion trip to see the northern lights. AIUI they should be linked to solar activity and the sun hasn't been very active over the last year or so. So is it a poor time to be going to look for the northern lights?

 

[wimvb]

The further north you travel, the greater the certainty/chance of seeing them. The very north of Sweden or the part of Norway north of Sweden would be your best bet. Be aware that clouds may interfere, and intensity varies from 0 to spectacular. Winter months are darker and therefore better, but also colder. - 30 deg C or colder is no exception.

Happy hunting,

[ronin]

Kind of difficult to plan as the sun, at least to us, is I suspect impossible to forecast. Equally the weather here seems about as impossible.

From the assorted bit I have heard and seen I get the idea that MArch is one of the higher chance times. Although I would have thought mid January sas the Earth is at its closest to the sun then so just closer to get hit by more solar particals. As you say the other is the general solar activity and thet 11 year cycle and we appear to be on a farly low and downward curve until 2020: SolarCycle

Well say not sure how close the sunspot activity relates or follower the Aurora activity, so could be irrelevant. Wonder if Lucy Green might have an idea?

The aurora also appear to arise in an approximate circle around the magnetic pole not the rotational North so a bit offset and identifing that circle would be a sensible approach, then aiming for somewhere on it.

Have thought of similar a couple of times and I think I would plan for somewhere to go that may well have an aurora, but not go sort of exclusively for the aurora as both solar and terrestrial weather could upset that single aspect. As no more then thoughts I have had there are Iceland and the Norwegian Hurtigruten cruises/ferries that go North and South along the Norwegian coast.

[Stu]

This site might help your planning....

http://www.aurorahunter.com/aurora-prediction.php

[Peter Drew]

I've seen World class arourae from N and S of Manchester!. You do improve your chances the further N you go but this is likely to be offset currently by the low point in the solar cycle.