Paradise in Sweden: The Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun

Aurora Borealis - image via Wikipedia

The spectacular Aurora Borealis, known as the Northern Lights, are a stunning natural display of color and light and one of Sweden’s greatest gifts to residents and visitors alike. The lights appear as colorful, fluctuating lines in the sky, and are best seen above the Article Circle, between September and March. Sweden’s far north, known as Lapland, attracts visitors from all over the world each year to see this extraordinary phenomenon, and the strange light of the Midnight Sun.

The Northern Lights occur year-round, though they are not visible year round. They originate from electrically charged particles (the solar wind), which travel at high speed and collide with atoms in the earth’s magnetic field.

The ancient world created many myths and local legends to explain this astounding natural phenomenon. A Finnish legend calls the lights ”fox fires”, as people once believed that the lights were sparks of fire catching the furs of giant foxes.

The Abisko mountain station is one of the more popular locations for Northern Lights tourists. Though the skies must be clear and dark enough to the see the lights, staff at the station very nearly guarantee that a visitor staying for at least three nights will have the chance to see the magnificent color show at least once.

If you are more likely to visit Sweden between March and September, you’ll witness the Midnight
Sun. This occurs for one to two months each year beginning in June. The Northern sun at this
time of year produces a sustained period of daylight, well into “nighttime,” which appears only
slightly darker than the daytime. The Midnight Sun is said to be most identifiable when you can
see the center of the sun as it reaches due north.

The Midnight Sun occurs during the spring and autumn equinoxes. The best places to see it are
the towns of Abisko, Björkliden, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Kiruna, on varying dates during June
and July. Before you travel to one of these locations, find out which days in June and July the
Midnight Sun will be visible there.

The special sunlight is said to cast an otherworldly light upon the Northern regions. A hike in
Lapland’s mountains during this time, one writer has noted, is a “blissful, rare adventure” and
something to be treasured by anyone who values scenes of extraordinary natural beauty—with
none of the usual worries about having to return before dark!

The “polar” opposite of the summer Midnight Sun in this part of the world is the Polar Night.
During this dim, low-key time for the skies, the sun will not rise above the horizon during day
or night. Only a few hours of faint light will show at midday, if the sun is present just below the
horizon.