Catching the northern lights, or aurora borealis, used to be a chance occasion, a rare fluke for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. But nowadays, scientists have figured out more accurate ways to predict when and where the northern lights will appear.
“Scientists around the world are still working to understand the aurora,” says Dr. Kathryn McWilliams, director of the SuperDARN Canada National Research Facility and a professor of physics and engineering physics at Canada’s University of Saskatchewan. “There are many types of instruments, on the ground and in space, that monitor auroral conditions, and there are many scientific and government websites with maps of the auroral oval, which is the region with the highest probability of seeing the aurora.”
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has an aurora forecast that estimates conditions weeks ahead of time. You can also check out the Space Weather Prediction Center, where scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitor and track the likelihood of the aurora happening. And, of course, there’s an app: My Aurora Forecast shows a map of the best locations in the world for viewing the lights now or weeks from now.
Generally speaking, the best time of year to see the northern lights is from late August to mid-April, because those are the darkest months of the year, but you can certainly catch the aurora in midsummer if you time it right. The best sightings will occur during the darkest hours of the night, between 10 P.M. and 2 A.M.