You can see the Northern Lights from a plane ✈️ #shorts

This is why you should always get a window seat 💺✈️

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👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.

[bonneymoseley]

The best show I could ever imagine was in 2018 right over my house in Big Lake Alaska! It was spectacular! Yes you can hear them.

[SunnahandScents]

I've seen them in Edinburgh and in Reykjavik Iceland, I pretty much got teary eyed when looking up at them because I was that much in awe. There was a crowd and they were all silent too: just taking it all in. I had planned to film it all or take photos but I was that engulfed in the moment I just couldn't move, and I didn't want to stop looking with my eyes. It's otherworldly, eerie, breathtaking, and just makes you feel like you're not alone in the universe.

[spidersj]

I live in the Northwest Territories (68.3°N) in Canada, and in the fall winter and spring I can see them out my bedroom window fairly regularly if there's a clear sky. It actually gets in the way of shooting any deep sky objects or the stars in general they're so bright. Thing to keep in mind is that the northern lights usually are brighter on one side of the northern hemisphere and sort of like a airline neck pillow, like a pinched off torus. The further north and south one goes the less bright they are. Place around the latitude of Whitehorse Yukon, Yellowknife Northwest Territories, usually show very bright northern lights. Latitudes around 60°N - 64°N are likely your best places. You'd obviously like a Bortle class 2 or darker sky for this, but you likely also want a place that has at least some amenities so plan your trip to see them accordingly. Places with a spectacular photo composition for a landscape astrophoto of the Northern Lights is also a bonus. Europe will likely be cheaper for you to go to, but if cost is not an issue I'm sure the students in the local school where I live would love to meet an astrophysicist studying black holes.

[Vercixx]

I've seen it from Abisko, one of the driest places in Sweden, maybe Scandinavia, beyond the polar circle. I've been there at the end of Oct and start of Nov for 3 nights and it was a mix of sun and clouds during the day, but it always cleared up as the night fell. 100% success in seing the aurora every night. Unlike Kiruna 100km away where the sky didn't clear up. I guess it was similarly cloudy in Narvik in Norway, 50km away, as people were driving from there to Abisko to see the Aurora.

Wherever you go, make sure there is a new moon when you plan your trip so that the light of the moon does not drown the aurora light.

[May-or-May-not]

I grew up in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. We could see the aurora almost every day in the winter. And if you go there around December/January the Polar night is so dark you can't tell the difference between noon and midnight. Highly recommend!

[KimmyJongUn]

Saw them over Greenland on a flight from Toronto to Reykjavik, started off as a calm ribbon and went into a substorm a few mins later which was mental! Also in Sweden you can sometimes see auroras from Stockholm but nothing beats seeing them on a clear night in Lapland when you can see the other colours like red

[richardupcott]

I live in Saskatchewan. See them most nights. We would lay on the hood of our cars to watch them. And congraulations for pronouncing Saskatchewan properly, even a lot of Canadians can't.

[OriginalHandprint]

Over 30 years ago, this young UK lad was lucky enough to spend a week in northern Ontario - remote, totally quiet, with no artificial lighting. I remember spending maybe 4-5 hours lying on my back watching the Aurora rippling across the sky and yes, you do hear a sort of electric swishing/swooshing sound!

[missarchaeologist]

I saw them just last week, actually, even despite all the light pollution. I live in Reykjavík, Iceland, so I consider myself truly lucky.

I reckon we could find somewhere to house you, Dr. Becky, if you would be up for a visit. ☺🖤

[JohnDrewVoice]

After spending two weeks in Alaska with my son on a photo assignment at the Iditarod, we'd not once seen the Northern Lights, mostly due to overcast nighttime skies.

Upon our late nite return from Anchorage to Atlanta, I suggested to my son that he raise the shade on his widow, which would give him a view toward the north. He raised the shade and then turned to me aghast, exclaiming, "Dad, look."

I cupped my hands round my eyes and pressed them to the widow. The entire northern sky was ablaze with the aurora, and not just softly-glowing green but multiple colors, explosions of aurora across the sky.

[CorgiDudeReacts]

Yup. My wife told me about this after coming home from a business trip. I'm so excited for our big trip to Alaska / Whitehorse next year.

[michael-buch_dk]

Waiting to board my flight from Northern Norway this evening and watching this.. Getting Window seat now :)

[campingboy]

Come to the Canadian Paraies. It's big sky country so you can see the dancing lights.

[BordersJambo]

There are literally Northern Light Flight experiences you can go on from all over the UK. They take you up around the Arctic circle and then back again. It's probably the best way to see them, unless you fancy going on a trip to Scandinavia or the Faroes.

[mcdon]

I remember the huge display way back in the 90s. The whole sky was alight, and not just green, but reds easily visible too. Did have pictures (proper old school photos, no digital cameras on mobiles back then 🤣) but they didn't do the view justice.

[Markous]

i'm at 54.25* north in Alberta and the northern lights are definitely picking up as we head towards solar max.

[lornenewman]

I have seen them many times from my back yard in Edmonton Alberta

[steveredwood]

Yes come to Saskatchewan.The most Amazing view of the Northern Lights.All year

[nickmiller]

I’ve seen them a lot over the years flying that route. Anything that goes over northern Canada is good for the aurora, From the uk that’s mainly west coast US and western Canada although I once saw them as far south as Glasgow in the 90s. Had some good shows of noctilucent cloud over the Atlantic, used to appear a day or two after a shuttle lunch. Don’t fly the Atlantic that much these days but I imagine the other launch’s would cause the same result

[briannahole]

It's truly incredible isn't it! I saw them by a fluke time they were visible in Iowa in 2006 I believe it was....it captured me and I just could not look away.