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Best Places to See the Northern Lights

Best Places to See the Northern Lights

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Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights are among the most extraordinary natural phenomena on Earth. This dramatic, fascinating and magical display of colorful lights in the sky during the dark winter nights is actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Simply put, they are caused by the solar wind that collides with the oxygen and nitrogen molecules in Earth’s magnetosphere, making them glow like the gas in a fluorescent tube.

The term Aurora Borealis was coined by Galileo Galilei in 1616 from the mythical Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for wind of the north, Boreas. The northern lights are characterized by the appearance of streamers of reddish or greenish light in the sky. Northern lights in shades of pink, yellow, blue, and violet can also be seen in the night sky. The aurora borealis often appears as patches or scattered curtains of lights following the lines of force in Earth’s magnetic field. At some times, they form quiet arcs or spiral clouds of light. Some lights, called active lights evolve and change constantly.

aurora borealis

When to See the Northern Lights

There is no scientific certainty when the best time to see the Aurora Borealis because they are unpredictable but they can appear on any dark night. During winter is usually the best time to see them, due to lower levels of light pollution and the presence of the clear crisp air.  These lights are visible under clear cloudless skies between the months of September to April. The long periods of darkness and the frequency of clear nights during these months provide many good opportunities to watch the auroral displays in the skies.

Best Places to See the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights usually circle the globe in a circular or elliptical “oval” centered on the earth’s North Magnetic Pole. This oval is known as the “aurora oval” and is the area with the highest probability of seeing the northern lights. Here are the places within this oval:

best places to see the northern lights

Alaska

Alaska’s location within the aurora oval which means you are almost guaranteed to see the spectacular light displays. Denali National Park in Alaska is the best place in North America to take in the northern lights. The aurora borealis becomes visible in the night sky when the long summer days of the far-northern latitudes end. The park has its own forecast system and offers tours to take visitors to watch the Northern Lights.

Canada

The Aurora Oval covers the majority of Canada and because of its northern latitude and low light pollution, it is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. Wood Buffalo, Lake Superior, and Jasper National Park are popular viewing spots. The lights can also be found in the provinces of Yukon, Northern Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. With the right conditions, you’re highly likely to see the Northern Lights in Canada.

Greenland

You can see northern lights from most parts of Greenland but the areas south and east of Greenland provide good viewing opportunities. In Greenland, Aurora Borealis actually occur all year round, but it cannot be seen during the summer months due to the midnight sun.

aurora borealis

Iceland

Iceland is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights with its massive glaciers, geysers, breathtaking waterfalls, and volcanoes. The best season to see the northern lights in Iceland is during the full dark nights of September to mid-April.

Norway

Its location above the Arctic Circle, and within the Aurora Oval makes Norway one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. Northern Norway is a land of wide open spaces and little light pollution offering superb opportunities for seekers of the northern lights. The Northern Lights season in Norway is between November and February. When summer days are long gone, the northern town of Tromsø offers the majestic sight of the Aurora Borealis.

Sweden

The area around Abisko in Swedish Lapland is scientifically proven to be an ideal viewing spot due to a unique micro-climate with less precipitation than any other location on Earth located within the auroral oval. The Aurora Borealis appear around the beginning of September to around the end of March all over Swedish Lapland. The dark winter nights are perfect for sky watching.

Finland

Northern lights appear on more than 200 nights a year in Finnish Lapland, making Finland one of the best places on Earth to spot the Northern Lights. In Finland, the opportunities for viewing the northern lights can be combined with a range of exhilarating activities. You can gaze the lights from the comfort of your own glass igloo and stay in a traditional log cabin complete with sauna and open fire.

This natural phenomenon is definitely a classic Arctic experience which causes excitement among those who have never seen it before. No wonder many people travel thousands of miles just to see these magnificent natural light shows in Earth’s atmosphere.

A Look at India’s Magnificent Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum located on the south bank of the Yamuna River in the Indian city of Agra. It encompasses nearly 17 hectares of land. In 1631, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife, a Persian princess who died after giving birth to their 14th child. This is why Taj Mahal is considered as the epitome of love and a monument of immeasurable beauty. It is the love behind this outstanding monument that has given it a life. The name “Taj Mahal” was derived from the name of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal and means “crown palace“.

taj mahal

Taj Mahal has a central dome which reached a height of 240 feet and is surrounded by four slender towers which stood at the corners. In addition, the mausoleum is considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture. The Taj Mahal is also regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history.

The Tomb

The Taj Mahal is a perfect symmetrical planned building with the octagonal tomb chamber in the center. The Mughal tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. It is encompassed by the portal halls and the four corner rooms. The tomb is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an arch-shaped doorway topped by a large dome and finial. The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The tomb is placed at one end of the quadripartite garden rather than in the exact center.

taj mahal tomb

The four minarets provide not only a kind of spatial reference to the monument but also give a three-dimensional effect to the edifice. The exterior of the tomb is square with chamfered corners. The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is its most spectacular feature. The dome is often called an onion dome because of its shape. The top is decorated with a lotus design which also serves to accentuate its height

Another impressive feature of the Taj Mahal is the main gate. The gate stands majestically in the center of the southern wall of the forecourt. It is flanked on the north front by double arcade galleries. The garden in front of the galleries is subdivided into four quarters by two main walk-ways. Each quarter in turn subdivided by the narrower cross-axial walkways, on the Timurid-Persian scheme of the walled-in garden. The enclosure walls on the east and west have a pavilion at the center.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World

The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”.

The Taj Mahal attracts about 8 million visitors a year and has gained a place amongst the most sought-after tours in the world. What the tourists admire about the Taj Mahal is not just the purity of the white marble, precious gemstones, exquisite ornamentation and the picturesque location but also the immense love of the emperor for his favorite wife which was the reason behind its construction.

Although the Taj Mahal suffered from neglect and disrepair in the two centuries after Shah Jahan’s death, it was restored in the 19th century and has been preserved since then. It was the British viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, who ordered a major restoration of the mausoleum complex as part of a colonial effort to preserve India’s artistic and cultural heritage.

To this day, the Taj Mahal remains as a masterpiece of architectural style in conception, treatment, and execution and has unique aesthetic qualities in balance, symmetry and harmonious blending of various elements.