Northern Lights

The Northern Lights can occur anytime there is solar activity. If there are no solar flares, there are no Northern Lights. Maybe you will luck out. it's basically luck to see them.

Thanks Mo. I have seen other comments that seeing the Northern Lights is sometimes more a matter of luck!

Well, there are multiple factors that must be more-or-less aligned:

• It's gotta be dark. So in the far north, winter gives you more of that (dark). Going to the land of midnight sun in summer is not a great strategy if your hope is to see the aurora.
• Skies must be clear. Clouds happen all year round, so patience (days, weeks, months) helps your chances of getting clear skies while you're there.
• Solar activity is needed, as that's what makes the show happen. Impossible to predict accurately in the short term. In the long term, we are currently at or near peak solar activity, but this is a many-years cycle, and no guarantee (there are no guarantees with this).
• You need luck, or patience, or both.
• Going to the far north helps somewhat, but is no substitute for all of the above. Patience and luck seem to be the major determining factors, you can get by with only one of them but it may take a very, very long time or a whole lotta luck.
• There is no way of knowing, no way of guaranteeing you'll see them (despite lots of marketing efforts), so best advice is to go with low expectations and enjoy being "there" (wherever "there" is for you) and be happy with where you are. If the sky show happens, that's gravy, but don't count on it.

And the tour doesn't go far enough north for a reliable view of the lights. But it's easy to do a trip on your own, start by reading this thread: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/how-to-see-the-northern-lights-a-short-guide

While not Norway, I made my fifth visit to Iceland in February. On this visit, I finally saw the Northern Lights. It only took five visits.

So, luck needs to be on your side.

I recently read an article that predicted increased solar activity and opportunities for Northern lights for the next 5 years. That should help.

Interestingly, both times I have seen the Northern lights have been in the northern continental United States. It really is just a matter of timing.

Luck is part of it, but guides will often know of locations to go where it may not be cloudy when it is in another area. We were in Alaska a few months ago and all day long our guide was worried that she would have to cancel the trip on us due to clouds, but she took us to an area that tends to be better weather than where we were. We had a fantastic show! You would never have known that Fairbanks was socked in.

Frank--I am glad you finally saw them. We have seen them on 4 of our trips there.

The strange thing about my sighting was that my "northern lights" app gave no notice. I had read that there might be activity that night and no clouds.

I happened to peek out my hotel room and there they were a green as, well, something green. I was able to step out on my hotel room balcony and enjoy the show. I was shocked to see how bright and vivid they were while viewing from the center of Reykjavik.

Frank—We have had the same experience with the vivid greens right in town. On one trip we were up at the church and even with all of the lights there, the greens were so vivid even to the naked eye. We will be back in late August so while it is not common then, I am keeping my fingers crossed.