Speaker
Description
There has been a rapid increase in auroral tourism in the European Arctic this millennium, a component of a wider arctification of tourism in the north. The region where Northern Lights are most likely to be observed lies between 60 and 75 North. It is less likely for tourists to see the aurora in the southern hemisphere since there are fewer accessible locations with infrastructure and a climate suitable for tourism activities. Aurora tourism is a seasonal activity which takes place in the winter in areas with low light levels. A prerequisite to see an active display is that the geomagnetic field is disturbed due to solar activity. Disturbances lead to a typical series of events during an evening, discovered in the 1960s, called an auroral substorm. The substorm typically has a length of 2-3 hours during which time the most visually impressive part of the display may last just 10-30 minutes. The Sun has an approximately 11-year cycle of activity which modulates the frequency of active auroral displays. In 2025 we are experiencing a peak in the solar cycle with frequent active displays and opportunities to observe the aurora at lower latitudes than normal.
The interest in seeing the Northern Lights has created business opportunities. Entrepreneurs offer Northern Lights tours in various forms with the ultimate goal of viewing the aurora. Modern mobile phones can take high quality images and tours often offer assistance in capturing the perfect image of the aurora to take home or send to friends and family via social media. Images have been shown to be an important part of the tourist experience and to the development of a destination. An understanding of the physics behind the Northern Lights is knowledge that entrepreneurs can use to optimise the planning and implementation of their tours.
