All you need to know about the aurora or the Northern Lights. Find all information about the Northern lights and discover how you can increase your chance of seeing it.
Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights is one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena attract travelers from around the globe and remain one of the most sought-after experiences for any bucket list.
While auroras are active year-round, they are most visible near the Arctic countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Russia, and Alaska (USA) during winter months, when long nights and clear skies provide optimal viewing conditions.
The aurora occurs when solar wind particles collide with atoms in the Earth's magnetosphere. This interaction excites the electrons within the atoms, causing them to move to higher energy levels. As the electrons return to their lower energy states, they release energy in the form of light, creating the stunning displays in the sky known as the aurora borealis.
Inforgraphic explained what cause the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis
If you want the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights, the key is to be in the right place at the right time and know how to track them. Simply being within the Aurora Zone, the band across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Canada, and Alaska will greatly increases your odds. But without the right tools or knowledge, your trip can be hit-or-miss, especially if you only have a few nights in the Arctic.
To really maximize your chances of witnessing this incredible natural light show, several factors need to line up:
By learning how to check aurora forecasts, monitoring space weather, and choosing the darkest possible locations, you’ll transform a random night of “aurora chasing” into a far better opportunity to see the Northern Lights in their full glory.
The Hello Aurora app is built on years of experience chasing the Northern Lights. We understand the frustration of missing this spectacular phenomenon and have designed the app to take that stress off your hands.
Let's look at the important metrics to check for Northern Lights hunting and why they are important.
In 2020, Hello Aurora introduced Aurora Strength, a real-time Northern Lights forecasting metric based on magnetometer data from multiple space agencies monitoring the North Pole regions. A magnetometer measures fluctuations in Earth’s magnetic field caused by auroral activity.
Tracking Aurora Strength helps you predict when and where the Northern Lights will appear, for example:
Just as you feel the wind more strongly when walking outside on a breezy day, the same principle applies to the solar wind.
Monitoring solar wind speed is an important factor for predicting when and where the Northern Lights will put on their most spectacular displays.
Planet Earth has two magnetic poles: north and south.
To understand how the aurora forms, think of two magnets: when opposite poles are brought close together, they naturally attract. A similar process occurs in space when the north-south orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) points southward.
This orientation interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere, which is oriented northward. The resulting connection allows charged solar particles to penetrate the magnetosphere and collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper atmosphere. These collisions release energy in the form of light, creating the spectacular displays we know as the aurora.
See real-time data and important metrics for you aurora hunting on Hello Aurora app
The clouds coverage forecast will help you to find the best position to spot the Northern Lights. With it, you can locate and predict the cloud’s movement and your chance to see the Northern lights will be higher when the sky is clear. Cloud is the main enemy for Northern Lights hunter. No matter how strong the aurora is if the sky is fully covered by clouds you chance to see the aurora will decrease.
The weather is an important factor to to look after especially in the Arctic where weather can be extreme. You don't want to go out chasing Northern Lights when there is storm alert in your area. Be careful, and drive safely, and stay home when the condition is too dangerous!
The KP index is one of the most known data for aurora. Related to the disturbance in the Earth's Magnetic field, it expresses the scale of activity on a level from 0 to 9. The higher it gets, the more chance you will see the Northern Lights far from the center of the Pole. Even though KP index is a very popular data among aurora hunters, unfortunately, it has proven to be wrong many times as it only compounds the Northern Lights' strength for the next 3-6 hours (not real-time). KP Index is not the value you should be looking at when you are already in the aurora zone. Understand the real-time aurora forecast and know why you should not rely on KP Index.
Long-term aurora forecasts on Hello Aurora app help you to plan your Northern Lights trip. They provide key metrics such as the KP index, the probability of visibility, and Aurora Strength derived from the most recent solar rotation.
While these forecasts give valuable guidance, aurora conditions can change quickly, just like the weather. To ensure you don’t miss a display, always verify real-time data on the day of your hunt, giving you the most precise, actionable information for a successful aurora chase.
You can find the aurora borealis in the high-altitude regions such as Iceland, Alaska, Canada, Norway and Finland and many great places that are located above 60° latitude.
The best way to see the Northern lights is to find where the cloud's coverage is clear, and the possibility to see them will be higher on that location.
Besides the cloud coverage, another thing to have in mind when hunting is that you should be careful with light pollution.
Many may have wondered if it’s possible to see the aurora in the city? Yes, from our top aurora hotspot in Iceland data in 2025 pointed out that you can actually see the aurora in the city.
And if you are already in the Northern Lights countries, turn on the notification on the Hello Aurora app and we will send you the notification when the aurora activity has increased or when someone already spotted the aurora so you will never miss the aurora again!
Hello Aurora send users notification when the Northern Lights is visible near them
Aurora is active all year but you will not be able to spot them during the summertime due to brightness especially in the Nordic country where they have almost 24 hours of daylight in the summer so winter is the ideal season.
By winter, we meant from late August to the beginning of April. Thanks to the short sunlight hours, you might be able to spot the northern light starting from when the sun is completely set.
If you’re wondering what the best app is for tracking the Northern Lights, the answer is Hello Aurora. Unlike generic weather apps, it’s built by an indie developer with years of aurora chasing experience, so everything inside is designed specifically for spotting the aurora borealis.
Trusted by professional photographers and local guides, as well as thousands of travelers on their very first aurora hunt, Hello Aurora has helped people all over the world see the Northern Lights with confidence.
I love this app the information is spot on thanks for alll the great work because of your app my friend and i were able to drive from Nor Cal to Wa and get there in time to see our very first Aurora on our very first try! Were both hooked now we recently returned from a week in Fairbanks that was incredible to say the least. So Thank you
Available on the App Store and Play Store, Hello Aurora provides:
So far, more than 230,000+ users worldwide have use Hello Aurora to plan their aurora hunts, connect with fellow travelers, and capture unforgettable sightings.
Whether you’re planning your first trip to see the Northern Lights or you’re a dedicated aurora chaser, Hello Aurora ensures you never miss a display. With live notifications, real-time data, and a growing community, it’s the ultimate companion for your Northern Lights adventure 💚
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