{"id":74225,"date":"2025-10-12T17:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T17:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/74225\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T17:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T17:56:15","slug":"bucket-list-destinations-to-see-the-northern-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/74225\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucket list destinations to see the Northern Lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amateur astronomers take note: we are in the midst of a \u201csolar maximum\u201d, which means the Sun is getting \u201csuper energetic\u201d, said Time Out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This period of heightened solar activity, which only takes place every 11 years, is likely to continue into 2026. So it\u2019s a great time to spot the Northern Lights, as the Sun is producing more frequent solar flares, triggering the dazzling displays that so many of us hope to experience in our lifetime.<\/p>\n

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The auroral zone spans several countries, including Norway<\/a>, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and parts of Canada<\/a>. You\u2019re most likely to spot the Northern Lights between mid-September and April, and \u201cas a rule, the farther north you go, the darker it is and the longer the aurora season\u201d, said The Times<\/a>. Still, there are no guarantees and you\u2019ll \u201cneed to be patient and stay up late\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Iceland is an excellent option for aurora hunting. There are many scenic spots but one of the best is the \u201cflat terrain of Thingvellir National Park\u201d, less than an hour\u2019s drive from Reykjavik, said Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveller<\/a>. Easily accessible with dark, open skies, it\u2019s a popular spot for getting those \u201cprize-worthy, slow shutter speed shots of the Northern Lights\u201d.<\/p>\n

Or you could \u201clive out your \u2018Frozen\u2019-inspired Scandinavian fairytale in northern Sweden\u201d with an overnight stay at the Icehotel in the small Arctic village of Jukkasj\u00e4rvi. Drive around 70 miles to Abisko National Park, where the aurora borealis appears on a \u201cnear-nightly basis during peak season\u201d. Flanked by two mountains, the park has a microclimate known as the \u201cblue hole\u201d that shields most clouds and rain, ensuring the skies are often dark and clear.<\/p>\n

For the chance to spot the lights with \u201cuninterrupted calm and tranquillity\u201d, consider heading to Greenland<\/a>, said The Independent<\/a>. The \u201cmost sparsely populated country in the world\u201d has low levels of light pollution, especially if you travel to Kangerlussuaq, which has a population of just over 500.<\/p>\n

Further afield, Fairbanks in Alaska is another option. Ideally positioned right under the \u201cauroral oval\u201d, conditions here are \u201cperfect\u201d for glimpsing the Northern Lights thanks to the inky skies and \u201cdry conditions\u201d.<\/p>\n

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And if it\u2019s \u201cpure magic\u201d you\u2019re after, it has to be Yukon in Canada\u2019s far northwest, said The Times<\/a>. Discover the World\u2019s three-night tour<\/a> kicks off at a \u201ccosy log cabin\u201d near Whitehorse before giving you the chance to try dog sledding and visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve to spot bison, moose and caribou. A knowledgeable guide is on hand to give you the \u201cinside scoop\u201d on spotting the Northern Lights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amateur astronomers take note: we are in the midst of a \u201csolar maximum\u201d, which means the Sun is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[273,111,139,69,147],"class_list":{"0":"post-74225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}