Finland: Northern Lights
The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are one of Finland's most spectacular natural phenomena, visible on clear nights from late August to early April. The best chances to see them are in Lapland, especially in areas like Rovaniemi, Inari, and Kilpisjärvi, far from city lights. Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth's atmosphere, creating shimmering waves of green, pink, and purple light. The peak viewing season is during the dark winter months of September to March, when nights are longest. On average, the Northern Lights can be seen in Finnish Lapland about 200 nights a year, often between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Kilpisjärvi
In Kilpisjärvi, a webcam is set up under one of the clearest skies in Finland, where viewers can often see the Northern Lights dancing above the snow-covered fells and frozen lake. The camera shows real-time images of the Arctic night, allowing people to experience the vivid green and purple waves of the aurora even from far away. Because Kilpisjärvi lies in the far northwest corner of Lapland, it offers some of the country's most frequent aurora displays, especially from September to April when nights are long and dark.