2025 Is Set To Be A Great Year For Northern Lights Sightings

More travelers than ever are seeking out the Northern Lights experience and Europe is currently the place to be. Also dubbed the aurora borealis, the phenomenon is more prevalent than in around a decade. Why are they being spotted more than usual? It turns out the sun has been extra busy, causing a spike in geomagnetic activity. As we start the New Year, it looks like 2025 is going to be one of the best to experience the Northern Lights in Europe.

2025 should be a good year for the Northern Lights

Currently, the colorful Northern Lights are looking stronger than in at least a decade. Usually, travelers take their chances at seeing those glorious skies, but 2025 could be the best year for the aurora borealis.

Since late 2024, the Northern Lights have been lighting up Europe’s skies with increased frequency. Moreover, they are being spotted further south than usual. Meanwhile, this glorious celestial phenomenon comes thanks to a peak in solar activity, continuing into the New Year 2025. This makes 2025 a good time to book a trip to chase the Northern Lights in far-flung locations like the tip of Norway or the incredible landscapes of Iceland.

For those who can’t make the journey to Europe, the great news is that the magical phenomenon will often be seen closer to home.

Why is 2025 a good year for Northern Lights sightings?

Let’s explore why 2025 will be a great year for aurora borealis sightings, and also the best places in Europe to experience them.

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are bright ribbons of green, magenta and red lighting up the sky. Officially known as the aurora borealis, the lights are caused by the interaction of particles coming from the sun – termed the “solar wind” – with Earth’s atmosphere.

As the particles reach the planet, they are channeled by Earth’s magnetic field towards the polar regions. While the Northern Lights are often heard of, the southern hemisphere also experiences the same phenomenon, often dubbed the “aurora australis” or Southern Lights.

Looking at the Northern Lights, this celestial phenomenon is typically only spotted over the Arctic Circle. However, they are sometimes visible further south. For example, November 2023, saw the night skies from Slovenia to southern England lit up with magenta and fuchsia, due to an unusually strong aurora borealis event. In this case, a large eruption on the sun’s surface was observed by solar physicists the day before the event, which caused a spike in geomagnetic activity over the following days.

According to the UK’s Met Office, auroras usually occur in a band dubbed the annulus – a ring of some 1,865 miles across and centered on the magnetic pole. However, the arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), or expulsion of plasma on the magnetic field from the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere can cause the annulus to expand.

Due to this, the aurora borealis can be seen in lower latitudes, meaning the Northern Lights can be visible in the UK and further south in Europe, as was experienced in 2023.

Why so many colors?

Northern Lights in an ethereal range of colors have been captured by photographers even as far south as Italy’s Puglia and Central Macedonia in Greece. According to the Met, the colors depend on which gas molecules are hit, and where they are in the atmosphere, as differing amounts of energy are released as different wavelengths of light.

To get an idea, oxygen gives off a green light when hit at around 62 miles above the Earth. However, at 100-198 miles, it produces the rare, all-red auroras. Meanwhile, nitrogen causes the sky to be lit with blue, but when it’s higher in the atmosphere, the glow has a purple hue.

Best locations to experience Northern Lights in 2025

To experience the aurora borealis, clear skies and minimal light pollution are key. Due to this, the Lapland region of Finland is always one of the best places, as is Thingvellir National Park in Iceland, Abisko in Sweden and Tromsø in Norway.

However, with the sun going through a particularly intense phase of solar activity, colorful flares have been spotted further south in countries like Germany, Italy and the UK.

If travelers aren’t lucky with the Northern Lights, heading to an International Dark Sky Park is always a great idea. These are protected areas around the world that preserve and protect the night skies from artificial light pollution, making them a great place for spotting the celestial wonders, with or without beautiful colors. Visit the official DarkSky website for more details about your nearest Dark Sky Park.