The northern lights

Let the Northern Lights remind you of the seemingly infinite beauty in Greenland. The best time to see the Northern Lights is on a dark, clear autumn or winter night.

THE DANCING NORTHERN LIGHTS

The dancing northern lights in the night sky are a sight for the gods which winter holidaymakers in Greenland will in all likelihood come to experience. From early autumn the night sky is regularly illuminated by the northern lights’ green glow.

It is a natural phenomenon that always causes excitement and wonder among those who have never seen it before.

SOURCE OF LEGEND AND SUPERSTITION

The Inuit people have also allowed themselves to wonder at the sight down through the ages, and the northern lights have often challenged the imagination.

A well-known legend relates that when the northern lights dance in the night sky, it means that the dead are playing football with a walrus skull.

Today certain groups think that children will be particularly intelligent if they are conceived in the magical glow of the northern lights.

"It is a natural phenomenon that always causes excitement and wonder among those who have never seen it before."

Package Tours

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Greenland Tours: Northern Lights & Icebergs

Greenland Tours

Northern Lights & Icebergs

Ilulissat incl. 1 day dog sledding & Northern Lights tour.

Tasermiut Expeditions: Greenland Northern Lights

Tasermiut Expeditions

Greenland Northern Lights

Admire northern lights from our glacier camp, a place where astronomers come back every year to watch and study them.

Icelandic Mountain guides: Dog Sledding and Northern Lights

Icelandic Mountain guides

Dog Sledding and Northern Lights

An 8 day tour travelling on dog sledges that takes you to the magnificent landscape of East Greenland.

Icelandic Mountain guides: Ice, Dogs & Northern lights

Icelandic Mountain guides

Icelandic Mountain guides: Ice, Dogs & Northern lights

Dog-sledding discovery tour with breathtaking experiences.

AURORA BOREALIS IN GREENLAND

The northern lights – or Aurora Borealis as it is officially known – actually occur all year round, but cannot be seen during the summer months in Greenland due to the midnight sun.

The phenomenon is often seen around midnight and is best experienced on a dark, clear night in the period from September to the beginning of April.

If you are travelling during this period, you can see the northern lights from anywhere in the country, whilst in South Greenland the northern lights can be seen from as early as the end of August

FLICKERING MOLECULES AND PARTICLES

“The northern lights are a fascinating phenomenon caused by collisions between the sun’s electrically charged particles and molecules and atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The spectacular light show takes place in the upper atmosphere at a height of approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) and can best be compared to candles flickering in the wind or fluttering curtains in shades of green and yellow. Greenland is one of the best places in the world to observe the northern lights.

Nothern lights over sisimiut. By Mads Pihl

Northern lights eye reflection. Photo by Klaus Egede -

Northern lights over Sermilik Hostel at Tasiusaq sheep farm in South Greenland

Northern Lights over the city lights of Nussuaq, Nuuk in Greenland. Photo by Rebecca Gustafsson

By Visit Greenland

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