These collisions release little photons of light 50-300 miles high in our ionosphere. The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, form when charged particles emitted from the sun (solar wind) get caught up in the earth's magnetic field and collide with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere. If you have clear earth weather and active space weather we highly suggest staying at your post until dawn. The later you can stay awake the better chance of getting to witness the grandeur of the northern lights. Midnight-to-2am is the best time to see the northern lights but they may occur anytime from sunset to sunrise. What time is best to see the Northern Lights? Source: David Hathaway, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 3. Statistically, springtime (March/April) and autumn (September/October) contain the most “geomagnetically disturbed days” which means more aurora activity.although you're bound to see the lights in October, November, December, January and February if you spend enough time looking up. When are the best months to see the northern lights? Predicting the exact month, week and night is the hard part and involves a lot of luck and just being there. This graph shows that my best aurora experiences are spread out across the peak phases of the solar cycle. Whatever the year or weather prediction, we say just go for it! There’s no time like the present. For those planning their own aurora hunt we advise going whenever it's convenient for you to spend the most amount of time as possible with your eyes on the sky. That could not be more true than right now because we are currently on a strong upswing in the Solar Cycle and sunspot activity is generating some wild auroras. The last peak of the Solar Cycle was 2014 and the next predicted peak is 2025, but I always say the best year is the year that we’re in.
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