Experiencing the Northern Lights is something that’s on many people’s bucket lists. These heavenly displays are truly magical, evoking a sense of wonder and amazement to all who witness them. This guide brings together expert Northern Lights advice to help you plan a cruise to see these natural phenomena, from the best Arctic cruise seasons to aurora borealis cruise destinations. This means you can cruise with confidence and maximise your chances of catching this celestial spectacle on your next Arctic voyage.
The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are caused by particles from solar storms on the sun’s surface meeting air molecules in the earth’s magnetic field at speeds of up to 45 million mph. When they collide, the solar particles heat up the molecules, which in turn creates that beautifully coloured light display.
The Northern Lights and their counterpart the Southern Lights (aurora australis) are collectively known as polar lights, or aurora polaris, because they’re clustered around the earth’s poles. This is because of the shape of the earth’s magnetic fields, which curve up from the south pole around the earth, then join the earth again at the north pole. This means the magnetic fields are at their weakest at the poles, so the particles are drawn to these locations.
Named by Galileo for the Greek goddess of the dawn and the god of the north wind, the aurora borealis can usually be seen between 60 and 75 degrees of latitude. This means they’re visible in Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Alaska and Russia. Very occasionally they can be seen off the coast of the UK – see below for why this is more likely to happen this year.
The Northern Lights create huge ripples and waves of colour across the sky. These different colours depend on whether the solar particles are heating up oxygen (green) or nitrogen (purple, pink and blue).
The aurora borealis’ magnificent displays happen all year round, but because you need darkness to see them properly then winter is when you need to plan your Northern Lights adventure. Winter in the Arctic is from late September to late March, with the darkest period between December and February – some northern regions have no sun at all during these months.
The aurora borealis are also most prevalent during the autumn and spring equinoxes, so mid-September and mid-March are optimal Northern Lights seasons. This is because the tilt of the earth’s axis during the equinox means optimum alignment of the solar particles and magnetic fields, leading to a greater chance of seeing the aurora.
2024 and 2025 are also great years to plan your Northern Lights cruise, due to the solar maximum. This is the period in the sun’s 11-year cycle when solar activity is at its peak. More sunspots on the sun’s surface means greater solar particle activity, which in turn means more particles heading towards earth’s magnetic fields, which in turn means more frequent and intense aurora borealis displays.
The solar maximum is why there have been sightings of the Northern Lights as far south as Wiltshire in the UK. The current solar maximum will last until 2025, with the next one not until 2036, so this is definitely the best year to book your cruise!
Many lines offer cruises specifically themed around viewing this celestial spectacle. Two prime locations for Northern Lights cruises are Norway and Iceland, and lines such as Hurtigruten, Fred. Olsen and Ambassador Cruise Line all offer trips to these countries. You can travel directly from the UK with Fred. Olsen and Ambassador, while Hurtigruten sails from Norwegian ports along the coast and up into the Arctic Circle.
And, of course, you can also combine your Northern Lights quest with other Arctic cruise experiences, such as whale watching and husky sledding, and the chance to visit ports such as Reykjavik, Tromsø and Alta.
Because the Northern Lights are also visible from parts of Scotland such as Shetland and Orkney, a British Isles cruise is also another option for a cruise with celestial displays. Hurtigruten Expeditions, Fred. Olsen and Ambassador are again great options.
Choosing a cruise for aurora borealis does give you several advantages over land travel. Since the best Arctic conditions for Northern Lights are no cloud cover and no ambient light, being at sea means you can avoid light pollution from towns and cities. Ships can navigate cloud cover and move to a better location if required, and also access remote areas that simply can’t be reached on land.
Many cruise lines offer ‘Northern Lights alerts’ – the crew will announce when the aurora are visible, both day and night, so you won’t miss out on seeing them through being at dinner or in bed!
And while cruise lines can’t guarantee that you’ll get to experience the Northern Lights, Hurtigruten does have its ‘Northern Lights promise’: if you book a voyage of 11 nights or more during the auroral season, and you don’t manage to get a glimpse of this heavenly light show, you’ll get a Coastal Express classic voyage for free.