It is with a magical feeling that the northern lights dance across the sky, and make us stop and gaze at the sky. If you rent a cabin in northern Sweden during the winter season, when the sky is at its darkest, the chances are great that you will experience this beautiful lightshow. The further north in Sweden the more visible the northern lights are, but it is not uncommon for it to extend down to middle Sweden and sometimes also southern Sweden.
The Northern Lights are best seen around our cabins between 21.00 in the evening and 02.00 at night, between the months of October and March. You’ll have the best chance to see the northern lights in the winter time in Sweden because the nights are long and the cold air makes for great visibility because there is less water vapor in the air. The northern lights are much weaker than sunlight, therefore they’re not visible during the day, and also street lights and the like make it also difficult to see the northern lights.
Also read: The winter season in Lofsdalen
Northern Lappland, more specifically Abisko National Park in Kiruna, is considered to have the world's best conditions for seeing the northern lights. The mountains surrounding Abisko National Park prevent clouds from forming and there are few disturbing light sources.
Abisko National Park is located about 100 km west of Kiruna. The national park can be reached by car, bus or train.
When you’re in your cabin and you’re looking out the window and you see the light dancing across the sky, of course the thought comes to mind of what is actually happening? Is it the gods, fairies or is it some sort of magical power? A scientific explanation has, of course, been concluded. Science claims that the Northern Lights are caused by electrons from the sun crashing into the Earth's atmosphere. The electrons collide with gas particles and the electric charge that takes place gives off the effective light that we call the northern lights. If this is really true or if the explanation is only made to satisfy our thoughts, we will probably never know.
The color of the Northern Lights depends on the type of molecules the particles from the sun collide with. The most common color is light green, but the northern lights can also shimmer in red, yellow, pink, purple and white light.
Tip: KP index
It is impossible to predict the northern lights, so even if you rent a cabin as far north in Sweden as possible, there are never any guarantees for you to be able to see them. But the geomagnetic activity is measured in something called the KP index. It is usually used as an aurora borealis indicator of how likely it is for the aurora borealis. The higher the KP index, the greater the chances. The further north in Sweden you are, the lower the KP index needs to be to see the northern lights. In general, the whole of Sweden has a chance to see the northern lights with a KP value of 6 or higher.
► there are several websites and apps that show kp-index where you are. Some apps may give you a notification when the KP index rises above a certain limit you set.
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