Frequently asked questions
What is the best time of the year to see northern lights?
The northern lights season in Rovaniemi starts around mid August when there is enough darkness during the nights and ends in mid April when it becomes too bright during the nights to see auroras. In the period between mid April to mid August, there is too much sunlight during the night to be able to see aurora.
The best months within that period are September, October and March. September and October are great as it’s likely not too cold, the equinox effect is in place (earth is favourably tilted towards the sun for stronger auroras) and the lakes are likely not frozen yet so we get some incredible aurora photos with reflections from the lake. March also has the equinox effect so we’ll likely have stronger auroras and those dreamy Lapland snowy landscapes.
Can you see the northern lights with the naked eye?
Of course! When solar activity is strong enough, it is quite easy to see the northern lights with your eyes. It doesn’t take much for this to happen in Rovaniemi. When solar activity is extremely song, you will be so mind blown by what you’re seeing that you’ll probably forget who you are for a good moment or two.
When solar activity is not quite strong, it still can be visible to the naked eye but may appear greyer in colour.
At what time of night do the northern lights happen?
As a general rule, aurora has the habit of getting stronger closer to midnight when the night is at it’s darkest. This is all dependent on the strength of the solar activity at that moment though. Sometimes the strongest aurora will occur early on in the evening just after sunset, sometimes it’ll happen right around midnight, sometimes it will happen at 3am when everybody is already asleep.
How should I dress for a northern lights tour?
Finnish Lapland is an extremely cold environment during winter and careful attention needs to be on the clothing you choose to wear during a northern lights tour.
During our northern lights tour, we will be outside the whole time other than when we are driving. There will be no indoor heated area that will be accessible during the tour other than the car which will only be kept on in extremely cold conditions (-20 or under).
As we will be outside for extended periods of time without moving too much, the chances are that you will feel cold if you are not overdressed.
Recommended clothing for sub zero temperatures:
thermal base layer (for both body and legs)
two thick layers (sweater + jumper)
winter jacket
two pairs of socks (merino wool)
waterproof shoes (snow boots recommended when temperature is less than -10c)
snow pants
beanie + gloves
balaclava / ski mask / face protection (for extremely cold temperatures)
As the temperature gets colder beyond 0 degrees celsius, it’s all about adding layers. Always bring extra layers on tour in the event that you begin to feel too cold.
Does the aurora look better in camera or with the naked eye?
Camera’s have the ability to take in light for extended periods of time, meaning that they are going to absorb more light and colours in the photos than what we can actually see with our own eyes.
One fault with human eyes is that they suck in the dark, meaning that we can’t absorb colour as well as we can during the day. Red auroras for example are hard for human eyes to see, but green is quite easy for us to see. This is why your camera may capture red auroras but you might not be able to them with your eyes (unless it’s really strong red auroras!).
To answer the question: kind of. It always depends on the strength of the aurora at that moment because it often can be equally as impressive to both your eyes and the camera.
Can I see northern lights in Rovaniemi every night during the aurora season?
There is auroral activity happening most nights in Rovaniemi, whether you can see it or not is up to the cloud coverage that night though. Sometimes we’ll have to drive multiple hours away to a place where the weather models and webcams have identified that the skies are clear enough to see aurora, other nights the cloud coverage will be too thick everywhere that there won’t be an obvious place to drive to at all.
Why does your tour only last 8 hours at most? Why not unlimited?
An unlimited length tour for hunting aurora sounds great until you realise that you’re relying on a sleep deprived guide driving an insane amount of hours in the middle of the night to safely guide you around Arctic roads. Truck drivers have a maximum amount of driving hours per day and legislated break times, these rules do not apply to aurora hunters at the moment.
With an 8 hour tour maximum, this gives us the ability to get to clear skies on most nights within a reasonable and safe timeframe. The latest we would aim to be back is between 2-3am on nights where a longer drive may be required. On nights where there is an extremely low possibility of seeing aurora within that timeframe, the tour will be cancelled and refunds/alternative tour dates will be offered.