The Southern Lights, also known as the Aurora Australis, are the southern version of the more well known Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Spotting the Southern Lights is notoriously difficult due to the fact that there is very little land far enough south to give people the opportunity of seeing this wonder of nature. The fact is, though, that from places like New Zealand or the tip of South America you can often see the lights. If the weather is right.

One person’s observations on the ground: One night, as I lie in my sleeping bag, I am enchanted by a pre-sleep show courtesy of Aurora borealis. I look through the window up into the night sky, past willow and spruce to the backdrop of stars and drink in the Aurora ribbons, the northern angel flights, radiating, dancing in striations that breathe in and out in fanning coruscations.

On my next trip to Europe: If you’re in the Europe, then the best places to see the aurora borealis are Northern Norway, Northern Finland, Northern Sweden and Iceland. Tromso Norway is the most famous town for aurora chasing in Europe and is right in the middle of the aurora belt. It’s also very easy to get to.

Plan That trip to the North Pose: The best times of year to see the aurora in the northern hemisphere are October, February and March. This is because it’s dark (the summer months have up to 24 hours of daylight) and there is not as much cloud cover as in the other Winter months. It’s more complex than this and other factors include the tilt of the earth in relation to the sun and the exact whereabouts of the geophysical magnetic circle, but the months given are the best months to see the aurora borealis.