The northern lights are a really exceptional spectacle, with curtains of sunshine dancing throughout the sky, twisting and turning to the whims of Earth’s magnetic discipline. Nothing fairly beats seeing the dazzling efficiency with your personal eyes.
Unfortunately for many of us, we merely do not reside far sufficient north for the aurora borealis or south sufficient for the aurora australis (often known as the southern lights). Only throughout heightened photo voltaic exercise can robust geomagnetic storms shift auroras farther from the polar areas and shock skywatchers at decrease latitudes. Lucky for us, there are a lot of aurora webcams at our fingertips, poised to seize the northern lights wherever they could seem — clouds allowing!
Auroras are generated when energized particles from the sun collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere and are funneled toward the poles by our planet’s magnetic field. When the electrically charged particles enter Earth’s atmosphere they excite gas atoms and molecules, sparking auroras. The process works in a similar fashion to neon lights: When the molecules and atoms get “excited” by electrons, they must return to their original energy (ground state) and do so by releasing the energy as photons (light). The color of the neon light depends on the gas mixture inside the tube, just like the color of auroras depends on the gas mixture in the atmosphere.
Auroras occur all year round but are more visible during winter’s long nights. Here we’ve rounded up some of the best aurora webcams from around the world. Please note that many aurora webcams are shut off during the summer months due to the extended daylight hours.
Abisko, Sweden
Lights Over Lapland is a family-run aurora tour firm in Abisko National Park, Sweden. They even have quite a few virtual aurora tours to select from so you’ll be able to expertise the surprise of the northern lights from the consolation of your personal dwelling.
Levi, Finland
You can watch the northern lights from Finland, courtesy of Northern Lights Alert.
Spåkenes peninsula, Norway
Experience the northern lights from the glass igloo hotel Lyngen North in northern Norway. Located by the Lyngenfjord on the Spåkenes peninsula, the hotel is in a prime location for aurora viewing opportunities.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Experience the magic of the northern lights from Aurora Reykjavík‘s northern lights stream.
Northumberland, UK
,During heightened geomagnetic activity the northern lights are visible even in the UK! Check out this stream from Northumberland Astro for views from Embleton, Northumberland.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Watch the aurora borealis from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, courtesy of Explore.org — an extensive network of nature cams from all over the world.