| Ruka Kuusamo, the premier winter holiday destination | | | | The Right Conditions |
| in Lapland, is the perfect place to watch the northern | | | | They can occur at any time of the day or night but |
| lights, one of the most amazing natural sights in the | | | | in order to see them the conditions need to be right. |
| world. | | | | The sky must be dark and clear, and, for some |
| What Are The Northern Lights? | | | | reason, they are seen more often when the |
| The northern lights, or aurora Borealis, are natural a | | | | temperature is very cold, -20C and colder. The official |
| phenomenon; undulating stripes or shafts of light over | | | | thoughts on the best time of day are between 11pm |
| the clear dark sky. They can be purple, red, green or | | | | to 2am, however I often see them on my farm near |
| yellow but primarily, in Ruka and this area of Lapland, | | | | Ruka in the early evening around 7 or 8pm. |
| they are green and yellow, an eerie and awe striking | | | | Northern Lights Forecast |
| sight, as they dance across the dark sky. | | | | The best website I have found for forecasting the |
| What Causes Them? | | | | northern lights is the Geographical Institute of Alaska |
| They are caused by gas emissions from the sun that | | | | which will show you both long and short term |
| are pulled into the Earth's gravity. There, they react | | | | forecasts as well as the expected strength and times |
| with the Earth's magnetic field, causing the unusual | | | | of the aurora. |
| colours of light. Ordinarily the gas takes around 3 | | | | Northern Light Excursions in Ruka and Kuusamo |
| days to travel to us from the sun, making it possible | | | | There are several excursion companies in Ruka and |
| for scientists and aurora gazers to predict the next | | | | Kuusamo that run northern lights trips. Usually setting |
| sighting. | | | | off around 6pm, these trips take you by snowmobile |
| When Can You See Them? | | | | and sled, through the frozen forests to open areas |
| In Ruka and Kuusamo, Lapland, you can see them | | | | or the tops of hills to witness the awe inspiring sight |
| frequently between October and March, with the | | | | that is the Aurora Borealis. Undulating shafts of green |
| best months being January and February. Unless they | | | | light dancing through the star covered sky. |
| are particularly strong occurrences you will need to | | | | Of course, aurora gazing is just one of many things |
| move away from areas of electric light which can | | | | to do in Ruka and Kuusamo during the winter months |
| mean simply turning your cabin light off and going | | | | which offer everything from skiing and snowboarding, |
| outside or moving to a dark area away from street | | | | to go-cart racing on ice and husky dog sledding. |
| lights. | | | | Ruka and Kuusamo really is nature's playground. |