When And Where Can I See The Northern Lights In Scotland

You can spot them in any part of the country even in the cities.
When and where can i see the northern lights in scotland. We saw them in september in 2015 2017 and 2019. In late march chances to see northern lights start to decrease dramatically. Thanks to longer hours of darkness and clear night skies december through march is usually the best time to observe this elusive natural phenomenon though you can sometimes see the northern. Shetland orkney and caithness eg.
The aurora are only visible in dark skies so the best time of year to see the northern lights in scotland is the autumn and winter months. Thanks to the absence of light pollution and the fact that northern scotland lies at the same latitude as nunivak island alaska or stavanger norway it is the perfect location to spot northern lights. Top spots include shetland orkney outer hebrides caithness aberdeenshire the moray coast rubna hunish skye and also far northwest observatories like applecross lochinver cairngorms angus the fife coast rannoch moor and perthshire. You could celebrate christmas in a loch side lodge toast hogmanay the new year in january in edinburgh or take advantage of less rain in february.
While the northern reaches of scotland offer better chances of spotting the mirrie dancers the aurora can be seen anywhere in scotland when the right conditions are met and where the light pollution is at a minimum. Best time to see northern lights scotland photo by d3rx on flickr. The best time to see the northern lights in scotland is december through february the darkest months of the year. But to experience the best of it you need to plan your visit carefully.
For this to happen the geomagnetic conditions must be particularly active. Aurora is quite common in scotland especially during long cold nights. Although the general rule of auroral thumb favours scotland s northern reaches there are those occasions when edinburgh and the surrounding areas that stretch along the fife coast are transformed by the northern light s luminous display. The midnight sun makes it impossible to see the northern lights.
The northern lights don t appear on set dates each year. Here s a list of some of the best places to see this marvel.