The Aurora Borealis is one of the most amazing sights on planet Earth, possibly the most wondrous phenomenon that our planet experiences. To watch charged particles from the sun dance around in the upper atmosphere as they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field really puts our being in a galactic context. The distinctive greens can often appear with dazzling red tails as if the sky itself was alight. This can naturally attract observers from far and wide, resulting in Northern Lights holidays being very popular indeed. The only problem is that this sort of display can only be observed around the polar regions and that means the Arctic and Antarctic. The southern counterpart, incidentally, is named the Aurora Australis and is the same phenomenon due to the Earth’s magnetic field.
One of the best places to view the Northern aurora is in Abisko, which has been voted the number one spot to witness this cosmic event first hand. This is largely because the area is set inside a microclimate which has clear skies so tourists will always be able to experience the borealis with no danger of being disappointed – after all, trips like this can be expensive. Flights are typically from Heathrow to Stockholm while a transfer will take passengers to the area. The area is covered in snow so it can make a great place to get in some skiing, ice climbing and trekking across the planes before taking in the atmospheric display at night.
