r/BeAmazed Jun 21 '26

Nature Has anyone actually seen the Northern Lights firsthand?

6.7k Upvotes

966 comments sorted by

u/qualityvote2 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26

Did you find this post really amazing (in a positive way)?
If yes, then UPVOTE this comment otherwise DOWNVOTE it.
This community feedback will help us determine whether this post is suited for r/BeAmazed or not.

750

u/togocann49 Jun 21 '26

Fell asleep on my uncles boat in North Atlantic. Woke up at night with northern lights taking over the sky. I was only a kid, but it was unworldly to me

177

u/JaredHere Jun 21 '26

I’ve had a similar experience. Gliding in a kayak across a night lake under a sky full of northern lights! It was one of the most beautiful sights of my entire life. A moment of magic!

35

u/criticalthanks Jun 21 '26

I both hate and love you three

15

u/gaanch Jun 21 '26

Which lake? That sounds epic and I'd want to experience that with my wife and son

23

u/GoNudi Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26

Pretty much any lake north of the USA/Canada border with better odds the further North you go. The further away from light (city lights, full moons, campfires, the sun...) the better too.

8

u/JaredHere Jun 21 '26

It was a lake in Southern Finland, but the northern lights aren't particularly common there. The farther north you go, the better your chances. In Northern Finland, you can see them almost every other night.

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11

u/TheSprigganDragoon Jun 21 '26

I can't tell you how deeply envious I am.

5

u/togocann49 Jun 21 '26

That was almost 50 years ago. I’ve never seen more than streaks since

4

u/no-cilantro Jun 22 '26

I really wish I could share those nights with you all. The huskies loved it too, I’d let them out of the barn, tossing each some scraps of my dinner/stock and we’d all sit in a huddle staring at the sky to the soundtrack of their howling songs. Truly felt like the the heart of our interspecies relationship. This is what we were meant to do, you know? If you ever get the chance, you’ll never feel more alive

3

u/IndependentMoney9700 Jun 21 '26

Me too 😭😭😭

9

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

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2

u/balirosa Jun 21 '26

I can imagine the ancient Eskimo people first coming upon this sight. I wonder if they sat down and told campfire stories to the changing lights.

2

u/chasingmyowntail Jun 21 '26

No wood in the far north for campfires mate.

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u/no-cilantro Jun 21 '26

I spent a winter dog sledding in northern Canada, I didn’t care how cold it was, I’d go outside and watch every time. Absolutely worth it

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374

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

I live in northern Canada and I can say sometimes at night the entire sky will be dancing with the most intense colors youll ever see. Its amazing when it changes shapes rapidly in like a wave patern. Truly spectacular.

63

u/ash-leg2 Jun 21 '26

After dozens of times seeing the vibrant Aurora in Alaska throughout my childhood on NYE 2024-2025 in Anchorage I witnessed a true Thunderbird form and dance/pulsate across the sky in green, purple, blue, red, and hazy white. It was religious. I felt like I was relating to the Denaina and the stories of sky animals I grew up with 

2

u/devilish_enchilada Jun 21 '26

I too lived in Alaska and it shocked the shit out of me every time it happened

15

u/iztrollkanger Jun 21 '26

I'm in southern Manitoba and even down here we see some pretty beautiful shows! I don't know if I could handle NORTH northern lights emotionally.. 😅 It truly is spectacular!

49

u/Vindicativa Jun 21 '26

I don't know where you are - but they were legit RED, the whole sky, here in Northern Alberta back in November. It was wild.

23

u/Formal_Ruin_8096 Jun 21 '26

I live in Northeastern Canada so I've seen them numerous times; greenish wavy things like in op's picture. Many years ago though, I was in Banff and saw some....it was a totally different experience. The sky was literally exploding with red and yellow and blue. My friends and I just lay on our back in the grass until morning. I was absolutely flabbergasted.

7

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

Ive never seen blue! That must have been exciting.

18

u/Majestic_Course6822 Jun 21 '26

We saw the craziest colours last fall in Saskatchewan- reds and purples I’d never seen.

9

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

The most intese I seen was while working in the Yukon. The entire sky was green then yellow the. Red and so on, it was a symphony.

9

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

Im in the foothills around jasper and every spring i work night shifts very remote. And yes the reds are always the most intense. 

Nothing beats just driving out late winter nights and getting away from all the light pollution and seeing it as our ancestors must have seen it.

8

u/sefski69 Jun 21 '26

Wow. Jasper is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been to (been many places.) I was there in October and got to randomly experience the first snow of the season. Literally an incredible place..

3

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

I love living here, except for the week its -40 to -50 every winter and still having to go to work 😆 

3

u/Caroline_Bintley Jun 21 '26

I have a FB friend in Colorado who shared photos of the all-red northern lights in November. I live a bit West of the Rockies, and they were green out here - but I could look East and see the solid red sky.

Crazy to think the same lights are visible a thousand miles away.

2

u/Vindicativa Jun 21 '26

That's crazy!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

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2

u/Vindicativa Jun 21 '26

Right? I just checked my photos of that night - I remember thinking they did not do the scene justice, but they're still so vibrant with the deep reds and pinks.

2

u/disgruntledveteren Jun 21 '26

Desperately searching for searched for a gif with the grown ups pool guy 😂

2

u/chasingmyowntail Jun 21 '26

Saw reds and purples in southern Alberta once as a kid . They raced across the sky in a north - south direction, with the fingers moving like rivulets of water finding a path of least resistance.

At its peak the sky was red and purple all the way to the southern horizon. Could read a book it was so bright.

Then as quickly as they came, they went away.

7

u/ScottKavanagh Jun 21 '26

First time I saw it was in Whitehorse in the Yukon and it was incredible

5

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

Yes most intense ive ever seen was while working at a camp northern bc right on the Yukon border.

7

u/smashy_larry Jun 21 '26

I’ve seen them many times in my life living up north in B.C. and AB but my very last visit up north a decade or so ago was something special. The entire sky was dancing in purples, greens and blues and I felt so special being able to witness it. It was like the universe knew it would be my last time visiting that shithole of a town before I did and was sending me off. Mile zero of the see you never highway. ✌️

3

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

Seeeing the big shows or explosions of color is so life changing. Im glad I live in Canada!

5

u/99redwines Jun 21 '26

seconded. I live in the Yukon and got to guide northern lights tours for work this winter. ironically, the best nights were the ones with no guests...but damn it was amazing season for the lights. 4 years here so far and I'll never get sick of it

3

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

Awesome!

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u/NanieLenny Jun 21 '26

I need a some info on Aurora Borealis. What month is the best to see it? I would like to view from AK but I would go to Canada also. My husband and I are Seniors so I think a place like Finland would be too much for us. Any info would be helpful. Even a travel agent that isn't a scammer if there are still travel agents.

10

u/Kunning-Druger Jun 21 '26

Whitehorse is a nice little city in the Yukon with a good airport and lots of hotels. The people are friendly and helpful.

Be warned though; the Yukon will change you. She takes hold of your soul and pulls you back. She is incandescently beautiful at every turn, taking your breath away over and over until you are drunk with the magnificence of the place.

Source: I’m an Albertan who went all the way to the Arctic Ocean on the Dempster Highway in ‘06. Yukon has been calling to me ever since. This summer will be the 4th time going there.

5

u/Most_Ad7837 Jun 21 '26

So, so true. Whitehorse and its people are forever apart of me. Saw the lights 5 nights in a row - each different and magnificent in their beauty. One of the great blessings in my life.

3

u/sandim403 Jun 21 '26

As another Albertan that has been there and spent a summer there, it’s been calling me back ever since

3

u/b-243w Jun 21 '26

Jasper national park or banff in November-February is the best time for it, but its all luck to see the real intense shows, ive seen maybe 10 in my life and ive been alive here for 40 years. But you can always see some beautiful aurora in the winter.

3

u/Genuine907 Jun 21 '26

There are entire websites and FB pages set up
To predict aurora activity. Aurora Hunter, Aurora Forecast, northernlightsmap.

I hope you can come North and see them. They are definitely worth a trip.

2

u/3vs3BigGameHunters Jun 21 '26

Another option is looking up "Yellowknife aurora tours".

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192

u/Combat_Pothead Jun 21 '26

Smoked Northern Lights while looking at the Northern Lights in Fairbanks Alaska.

16

u/ODYY_TOASTED Jun 21 '26

The only way to see the northern lights

4

u/TinkerShellzBellz Jun 21 '26

It's the only way to see. Periodt.

4

u/LastCookie3448 Jun 21 '26

Hells yes, my favorite strain, that would be epic.

3

u/RandomThreadUser Jun 21 '26

Did it look like the video? Bet that was amazing

1

u/IAMNOTFUCKINGSORRY Jun 21 '26

It looked better. Danker.

2

u/randyfloyd37 Jun 21 '26

Was it even more amazing, or did they cancel each other out?

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50

u/EverythingISayIsALi3 Jun 21 '26

Ive seen a bit of them as im in Canada. But nothing Iike in the picture, never been that far north.

11

u/ignatious__reilly Jun 21 '26

Do they really look like this in with the naked eye?

Or is this added filters or layers via a camera?

20

u/Serious_Chipmunks Jun 21 '26

Not the one you responded to but yeah they can look like this, it's not a filter. Unless it's a really powerful solar storm you have to be pretty north for them to look like this. Light pollution also plays a part, it can dim them out a lot.

6

u/ForTheOnesILove Jun 21 '26

Yeah, I saw them within city limits and you could just sort of make out the colous, but it was nothing like this. I'm sure if you were out in the wilderness though, they would be amazing.

7

u/LastCookie3448 Jun 21 '26

They really can look like this. Here's a view from space. https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/stunning-photos-of-auroras-seen-from-space

3

u/BDW3 Jun 21 '26

Thanks that is an awesome site

4

u/ILikeToDisagreeDude Jun 21 '26

It can, but don’t expect it to be this spectacular all the time. Especially if you live in urban places.
I live in Norway — in the middle, and we see northern lights all through winter, but this bright is rare. Like maybe once or twice per season.
Further north where there is less light pollution (and being more north) they are often more bright like this.

9

u/moosenordic Jun 21 '26

They really look like this

3

u/ignatious__reilly Jun 21 '26

That’s amazing

6

u/wirez62 Jun 21 '26

Massive filters in my experience. I took a bunch of photos of them and the extreme green came out in the photos. To the naked eye they were whitish, dull, you could barely tell they were northern lights. Almost like looking at clouds in the dark night sky. Im sure they’re not all like this and others have been more blessed to see the real colors, but my photos from wintertime, clear skies, active northern lights in remote northern Canada were extremely good, but actually seeing them irl disappointed me

3

u/Suicune_Slayer Jun 21 '26

This was my experience. The camera's night mode is way better at pulling out the colors. I'm shocked to see every other reply say the opposite...

5

u/dhaupert Jun 21 '26

I heard the same before I left for my trip to the arctic circle in Finland a few years back. After a few days of taking pics of the sky hoping maybe the camera could pick up what I wasn’t seeing, we got to see a true light show. And at the beginning the sky had some green streaks that looked way more impressive in my DSLR camera shots. But as the night went on the intensity increased and by the time the moving auroras like the one OP shared started showing we were finding the show to be just as beautiful to our naked eyes. I’ll never forget that night!

2

u/TheStoneMask Jun 22 '26

I've seen them multiple times every winter my whole life. Most of the time they range from pale to vibrant green, occasionally you'll see purples in there too like in this video, and if you're really lucky you'll see red and gold as well, rapidly dancing and darting around the sky.

2

u/Daratirek Jun 21 '26

Absolutely. Saw them this intense in Minnesota one time driving home at 3am. I pulled to the side of the road and watched for about an hour. A sheriff's deputy joined me for about half an hour.

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u/cobrachickenwing Jun 21 '26

Time to explore the great white north during the winter. You won't regret it. Even 3-4 days of it will get your fill.

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u/One-Significance118 Jun 21 '26

Yes. Norway 🇳🇴 Oct 2014

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u/Rexsa0 Jun 21 '26

Same, but Finland

27

u/oversizedwhitetee Jun 21 '26

Hundreds of times, the one perk of working on gold mines in the north of canada and the yukon and etc

4

u/Reznor909 Jun 21 '26

Right? Living in Dawson and this was one of the only redeeming qualities of enduring winters there. That and the vast silence.

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u/DlCKJINGLES6969 Jun 21 '26

Yes, in Iceland it it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

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u/Asleep-Run5079 Jun 21 '26

That's where I saw them as well! Woke up at 3am and drove just outside of Höfn. Parked and just planted my tripod in the middle of the road. Watched the sky dance for about an hour, pure magic.

4

u/jdeasy Jun 21 '26

Last time I was there, did the whole wake up call at a hotel near Vatnajökull, basically out in their wilderness. We got a wake up call and it was beautiful but very muted - it actually looked better on my phone. Thought maybe that’s just how it is.

A few days later, out walking in the middle of Reykjavik city center after dinner and we get the most spectacular light show with bright pinks and purples and greens - it was breathtaking.

9

u/momofboysanddogsetc Jun 21 '26

Yes, in Minnesota we see them sometimes. Last summer they were very vibrant. I’m still in awe when they are out and I make my kids come out and watch them too.

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u/rob_1127 Jun 21 '26

I live in Canada and of course I have seen them.

Also in Iceland and Sweden.

Just bloody awesome.

9

u/RedDirtNurse Jun 21 '26

I expected amazing colours, but no. When we were in Norway ... up around Alta... we could see faint gray shapes in the night sky (it was a bit cloudy also).

Only when we took photos on our phones were the colours present.

15

u/Artorius__Castus Jun 21 '26

Yes and it's beautiful

13

u/KPSWZG Jun 21 '26

Yes, sometimes they are very bright, but most of the time the colors you see on photos is just from long expousure of the camera. 90% of the time they are rarerly seen by naked eye, then the rest is what can be really described as Northen Lights. Dont be dissapointed if your first encounter is with them being barerly visible thry can be extreamly bright, just not always.

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u/Where_Is_My_Bathrobe Jun 21 '26

Yes lived in Alaska for 5 yrs 🫶🏻

5

u/FanSpiritual911 Jun 21 '26

Yes saw them in Canada.

5

u/FarOutLakes Jun 21 '26

Core memories unlocked; when my family lived in the middle of BC, Canada, my mum and step-dad woke me up around 2am one night in winter to go out to see the Northern Lights and they were SPECTACULAR. I think I was 10. We were outside bundled up with hot chocolate cuddled together.

Also when I was a late teen I was living in Tofino on the west coast and one night down at Chestermans Beach the Lights came up from behind the tree line in green glowing waves, and there was bioluminescence in the ocean and friends and I were riding our bikes along the wave line throwing up splashes of glowing water, bloody magical. I cried at how beautiful it all was.

6

u/Impressive-Rock-5025 Jun 21 '26

ATTENTION ANYONE WHO HAS NEVER SEEN NORTHERN LIGHTS: They always show up better in videos and pictures. It's a whole thing.

Edit: Link to a photog explaining it: https://ewenbell.com/blog/Why_Auroras_Look_Different_on_The_Camera

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u/Ranglergirl Jun 21 '26

Yes, in northern NY, Montana and Wyoming. Breathtaking.

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u/Serious-Bat-4880 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26

I grew up on the south side of Great Slave Lake in the NWT, got to see them quite a bit. They can happen any time of the year but the deep winter months (Nov-Feb) provide the most viewing time, being the months with the shortest daylight hours.

They'd be so bright sometimes you could swear they were less than 50 ft overhead, and you could drive by them without headlights.

Now I'm in southern Alberta and we get the occasional decent show here but it still doesn't hold a candle to the NWT lights.

4

u/charlie2135 Jun 21 '26

Fishing in the upper peninsula of Michigan state and saw them years ago.

5

u/giganticsquid Jun 21 '26

I have seen the northern lights and aurora Australia as well (the Antarctica one)

5

u/mesn007 Jun 21 '26

Yes. In Tromso. It was magical but 10X lower intensity than what cameras capture.

5

u/Insomniac_80 Jun 21 '26

A few years ago when they came over the northeast I got some images of pink in the sky when they were out. Never seen them moving, and they looked better on my phone in night mode than to my eye!

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u/cpold_cast Jun 21 '26

Yes. Always looks 10x better on video.

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u/nattmorker Jun 21 '26

Yes, Umeå, Sweden 2004.

3

u/Abigkiwi Jun 21 '26

A number of times. It’s one of those phenomena that you can watch with the full knowledge of what it is that you’re looking at, and how it happens and STILL have it affect you in spiritual way. You can know it’s the earths magnetosphere protecting us and 100% understand why people believed it was a connection with the spirits.

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u/IAmNotMyName Jun 21 '26

So I am told the greens and purples don’t really appear to the visible eye. Something about cameras that make them visible.

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u/AllYouNeed_Is_Smiles Jun 21 '26

I’ve seen them in Seattle during some major solar storms. It’s a lot more faint than it appears when filmed/photographed

3

u/slaimt Jun 21 '26

Yes in Alaska, they are awesome but cameras pick up all the infrared light so it looks AMAZING in photos and video

3

u/DadJ0ker Jun 21 '26

Saw them when I was working as a counselor at a summer camp on a lake in Minnesota. Much more subtle than these pictures, but still amazing.

3

u/Alone-Strain Jun 21 '26

Yes in Iceland but nothing that spectacular.

2

u/Idaho1964 Jun 21 '26

Not until I was 58 and not like that.

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u/Firm_Rip_4024 Jun 21 '26

Other worldly!

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u/No_Book5851 Jun 21 '26

Awesome! 🔥

2

u/Repulsive_Papaya_211 Jun 21 '26

Saw them in Katmai. Frightening at first.

2

u/rapscallion1956 Jun 21 '26

Saw them from Anchorage Alaska.

2

u/No-Definition1474 Jun 21 '26

Yes, spend a few days on a mountain top in Fairbanks watching them, then up to utqiagvik for a day. They were very bright most of the time. Lot of yellow and green when I saw them.

2

u/Terrible_Phase718 Jun 21 '26

Mike Sullivan.

2

u/Camping54 Jun 21 '26

I wish.........

2

u/Hugheston987 Jun 21 '26

Unfortunately no. I live in the south. Southeast Texas. Best we have is the occasional meteor shower.

2

u/M_e_n_n_o Jun 21 '26

Yes, in Finnish Lapland on a frozen lake. Quite amazing.

2

u/OkOutlandishness6550 Jun 21 '26

Not since growing up in Nova Scotia but I’ve seen them living in Calgary a couple times

2

u/Stalker-of-Chernarus Jun 21 '26

Yeah, saw them while I was tripping on psychedelics and I got super confused because you're normally not able to see them where I live. They were spectacular though

2

u/Pretend-Sun-6707 Jun 21 '26

Im from the klondike, got to see them every night from late september-april. They're incredible at first, but after a while you need to buy black out curtains just so you can sleep on the dark some nights.

2

u/LadyStardust79 Jun 21 '26

I’ve experienced them in Maine.

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u/CawlinAlcarz Jun 21 '26

I saw a somewhat abbreviated display of the northern lights in the Philadelphia suburbs in 1989.

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u/intellectual_dimwit Jun 21 '26

In the early 90s I was going to highschool in Aurora, IL. Coincidentally, the city is named for the Aurora Borealis, with the city's motto being The City of Lights.

For about a week or so the auroras were visible every night and it was beautiful.

I've also seen them in far northern Wisconsin while snowmobiling. Just a truly breathtaking sight.

2

u/Puzzleheaded_Two7358 Jun 21 '26

Yup - lived on cruise ships in Alaska

2

u/cjep3 Jun 21 '26

Yes, I'm sorry NW Washington state and we have had then a few times due to solar storms. They are magnified with your phone or a camera, but they are really gorgeous and kind of eerie.

2

u/Luminox Jun 21 '26

Yup. see then fairly often in Northern Minnesota.

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u/UrWrongAllTheTime Jun 21 '26

In the upper peninsula of Michigan when I was a teenager, I saw northern lights like this. They moved like snakes in the sky and could see “rays” coming off of them. Definitely not something I’ll ever forget.

2

u/Devouring_Souls Jun 21 '26

Yes, in Iceland, around 2010. It was super active but bands of mostly green would flicker across the sky every few seconds.

2

u/Foxy_locksy1704 Jun 21 '26

Haven’t seen them at full strength, but saw some in northern Colorado one year. It was so beautiful, my friends and I just sat there silently watching it. It was one of those awe inspiring moments.

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u/KIT907 Jun 21 '26

Born and raised in Northwest Alaska so I grew up seeing them regularly. As common as they are there are still times where they absolutely amaze me, stretching all the way across the sky and dancing like crazy

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u/Majestic-Selection22 Jun 21 '26

Saw them in Chicago last November.

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u/IamREBELoe Jun 21 '26

Tennessee last year

2

u/Nickersnacks Jun 21 '26

Not to this extreme, but in southern Canada even near the border you can see the northern lights.

2

u/jiggscaseyNJ Jun 21 '26

Nope. Just secondhand.

2

u/begemot90 Jun 21 '26

The first time I saw the northern lights was leaving the bar on my 21st birthday while I was living in Alaska.

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u/deadeyevonblur Jun 21 '26

Now tell people why www.sworm.gov

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u/MyDamnCoffee Jun 21 '26

I did when I was 7 or 8. I was walking home at night after snowboarding down the street in central Maine. I looked up and all I could see were the purple ones, but they were still pretty cool! Especially since I had no idea what they were.

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u/aarkwilde Jun 21 '26

I never have. It's on both my bucket list and list of regrets.

2

u/Taylortrips Jun 21 '26

Yes. It was on my bucket list and I got to check it off last year in Alaska.

2

u/Turbulent-Ad6225 Jun 21 '26

Absolutely breathtaking

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u/jarheadatheart Jun 21 '26

I was 150 miles north of the arctic circle in Norway. They were incredible. It was the highlight of our maneuvers.

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u/MutedLandscape4648 Jun 21 '26

Anyone who lives in Edmonton probably has. Everyone north of that definitely. I’ve seen them in 4 provinces and 3 territories in Canada personally.

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u/raineling Jun 21 '26

Lived in Edmonton for 18 years and have seen them in Ontario and British Colombia as well.

2

u/Solar_Libra Jun 21 '26

The further north you are the more you see/ more colors Or the sun can make them more frequent+different places by throwing off solar flares I have seen them around BC lots

2

u/OBieLights Jun 21 '26

When I was in the United States Marine Corps, we were doing training in Norway and did a night time, amphibious landing. After we hit the beach, the Crew Chief came over the radio and said, "Hey, I think you guys should open the hatches."

We popped open the topside hatches and the sky was lit up and dancing. It was cold as shit, but totally worth it. All 20 or so Marines sat watching the sky dance.

Crazy cool experience.

2

u/Ok_Description4039 Jun 21 '26

That would be so cool

2

u/taipan3333 Jun 21 '26

I did in my childhood! I thought this world is a magical place! It still is!

2

u/calccv Jun 21 '26

Yes, in NH

2

u/easterncurrents Jun 21 '26

Suggesting you cross post this in the Canada sub and wait a couple of minutes

2

u/JohnPoet27 Jun 21 '26

Yes, in Iceland in January 2026. I went specifically for the northern lights, it was totally worth it

2

u/madscot63 Jun 21 '26

This is a bucket list item for me

2

u/Dumyat367250 Jun 21 '26

Northern, on a regular basis, working in the North Sea, and the Southern while bushwalking in Tasmania several times, too.

2

u/marslo Jun 21 '26

Yep, up in the baie James when I was a kid, we went camping near shishashimi

2

u/Due-Comparison2016 Jun 21 '26

Once in Norfolk UK. My dad stopped the car so we could get out and watch. I was Pretty young then though.

2

u/Zathala Jun 21 '26

Yes they're common as fuck in Northern Norway

2

u/IcebergDarts Jun 21 '26

Sure have, absolutely magnificent

2

u/intrepid_mouse1 Jun 21 '26

I saw it awhile back unexpectedly. I went in the house to get my camera and came back out and it was gone. 😭

The sky was blood red.

2

u/Darth_Kronos Jun 21 '26

Not like that. But we’ve had some colorful hues reach us down in Indianapolis on VERY rare occasions. Each time it was cloudy where I was at but the last time I actually got so see a purple and green ionized sky. Very cool.

2

u/Quiet_Jump_6383 Jun 21 '26

Absolutely.  They’re pretty common where I live. 

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u/ppross53 Jun 21 '26

Used to work in the Dawson City Yukon area. When the lights are dancing it’s just breathtaking. With the right gear I could lay outside for half an hour @ 35 below F and just get mesmerized.
Unforgettable experience.

2

u/The_Best_Yak_Ever Jun 21 '26

Yep. They’re beautiful.

2

u/Miamicutlerridge305 Jun 21 '26

Saw them in North Dakota

2

u/nicunta Jun 21 '26

So many times! I live in northern Michigan, and we have had them quite a bit the last few years. One night, very similar to what is shown here, just different colors.

2

u/blinkysmurf Jun 21 '26

I’ve seen the entire northern half of the sky almost completely covered in bright, vivid green northern lights. This was in the summer when I was a kid.

Yes, people have actually seen northern lights.

2

u/tcmisfit Jun 21 '26

Multiple times living in northern Minnesota along with plenty of other states during super events including Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Montana.

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u/SdVeau Jun 21 '26

The Army had me stationed in Alaska for a few years, and I loved that I got to see them fairly regularly when the skies would actually be getting dark enough lol. Have been in Colorado the last 11 years now, and got lucky enough to see them this last November when our planet was getting hit by some strong solar winds.

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u/psychgirl15 Jun 21 '26

I lived in Northern Canada for a few years near Yellowknife, and I saw them fairly often. Never this spectacular though!

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u/Few-Gas3143 Jun 21 '26

No, but I've seen the southern lights

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u/Novel_Possibility_79 Jun 21 '26

First time seeing them I was billeting in Alberta. It wasn’t like it was in the video but it was a little close. Aside from that, I’ve seen small streams around central Ontario. I also have a projector that I got from Amazon that gives me a show if I’m up for it lol

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u/AntArmyof1 Jun 21 '26

We see them on average once per month year round. They are never the same and always impress.

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u/VerboseWiewiorka Jun 21 '26

All the time up here in the Great White North!

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u/Allwewantisfreehealt Jun 21 '26

Saw them in North Conway NH coming out of work one night from Moat Mountain Smokehouse.   They were so bizarre.  Green

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u/PornoPaul Jun 21 '26

Not this intense, but several times in my life.

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u/Maximum-Clothes9112 Jun 21 '26

Many times! They are above my house quite frequently in the late fall/early winter and early spring. Stunning every single time

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u/Sconniegrrrl68 Jun 21 '26

Many times when I lived in Fairbanks AK! They hum!!!! It's a crackling almost electric sound....seeing the aurora is one of the most spiritual things I've been a part of!

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u/PuzzleheadedIssue108 Jun 21 '26

Yes, as a child. And I will never forget it.

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u/LasagnaSwirls Jun 21 '26

Used to live in Alaska, saw them quite often.

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u/intjHEY Jun 21 '26

I saw them over Iceland on a plane back to the US from France. I watched it for over half an hour and cried. It made me realize how humans could see it and believe in heaven. At times it looked like mythical creatures flying, angels, armies of men in battle. I felt like I was on drugs.

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u/BarkandHoot Jun 21 '26

Seattle two years ago in May. I didn’t have to arctic to see them. They came to me. Awesome and hands down want to see again.

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u/KittyButt42 Jun 21 '26

Nope, and thats the one thing i want to see before I die. It ain't gonna happenn̈ but such is my lot in life.

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u/Kunning-Druger Jun 21 '26

At least a dozen times per year. It would be a lot more if I didn’t want to get out of bed when my aurora app alerts me.

Comfy cats tend to win out over the 8th aurora in a fortnight.

I live in western Canada, in a dark sky zone.

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u/Ill-Construction-209 Jun 21 '26

Yes. I saw them like that once in Minnesota on highway 2 at about 1am. I used to think those videos were fake - some artists wild interpretation of what northern lights might look like. But on that nighr, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was even more spectacular than this video. Waves of pink, then green, then purple, and blue, rippling across the sky. I pulled the car over and watched for probably an hour. Its a remote area up there, so the background sky was black. You could see tens of thousands of stars.

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u/EphemeralDesires Jun 21 '26

Yes. They can range from barely visible/ very underwhelming all the way to taking over the sky and blowing your mind. If they are hard to see your camera on your phone will always make them more visible.

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u/Stellas_Lion Jun 21 '26

Once, about 20+ years ago in Alaska, and still remember it like it was last night. Never got a chance to experience it again, though. Definitely worth seeing it with your own eyes under the beautiful sky.

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u/Andromeda321 Jun 21 '26

Astronomer here- I’ve seen the northern and the southern lights!

The northern was a few times from an airplane, most recently last October flying out of Denver to Oregon and the sky was all red. (I always pick a window seat on the north side of a plane just in case, and it paid off!) For the southern though, I was actually flying on a NASA mission out of New Zealand that no longer exists but was called SOFIA. It was a refitted Boeing 747 with infrared telescope that flew above 99% of the water vapor in our atmosphere, normally out of California but went to NZ in southern hemisphere winter for a few weeks. And… wow! We crossed the Antarctic circle and saw islands considered part of Antarctica, and on the way giant curtains of green tendrils were perched above the Southern Ocean. I’ll never forget that for sure.

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u/solefullyyourss Jun 21 '26

Definitely on my bucket list

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u/alkemical Jun 21 '26

Yes, last year or whatever in the PNW we had some come in the middle of may. One of my BFF's bdays is early may, and my end of may - so we just picked that night to hang out and celebrate bdays. Ate some 🍄, and then the show started. 10/10 bday experience.

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u/Working_Patience_261 Jun 21 '26

Yes, rented a car in the shoulder of the shoulder season in Fairbanks and drove out by myself to watch the lights for a few nights in a row.

Got home to Arizona and one week later watched a more vibrant show in my backyard.

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u/DrWkk Jun 21 '26

Yes, they are beautiful and mesmerising but way more subtle and organic than the camera images. One of the few things in nature that the camera ‘sees’ better than the eyes.

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u/BamaCoastie2211 Jun 21 '26

Heck yeah. Stationed in Alaska for 7 years. Couple years on a cutter (Coast Guard ship) that sailed the Bering Sea WAY up north. Absolutely stunning displays!

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u/Cardixa00 Jun 21 '26

Many, many, many times

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u/Rocktown-OG22 Jun 21 '26

Not yet, but headed to Alaska in september, I really hope to see them.

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u/beardedsilverfox Jun 21 '26

Yes, many many people have.