Who doesn’t love a sky full of colour? Humans have been intrigued and inspired by the Northern Lights pretty much since the beginning of time.

Each winter we set off for Lapland to marvel at their ethereal illumination. We believe this atmospheric phenomenon is among nature's most beautiful spectacles.

If you’re wondering what the Northern Lights are all about, we’ve gathered some fascinating facts about their history, legend and science you may not have known.

The first recorded sighting dates back 30,000 years.

Cave paintings in southern France made by Cro-Magnons, the earliest people to settle in Europe, likely depict the Northern Lights. It wasn’t until about 2600 BC that they first appeared in written form. In an ancient Chinese text, Fu-Pao, the mother of legendary emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi, is described as looking into the sky and seeing lights that illuminated the whole landscape.

The phrase 'Aurora Borealis' was coined in the 1600s.

It’s usually attributed to Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1619, but was also being used around the same time by French scientist Pierre Gassendi. The  spectacle is named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind.

The Northern Lights are known as 'Revontulet' in Finland.

Meaning 'fox fires', it comes from several myths associated with Arctic foxes. One myth says their bushy tails swept snow into the sky, which thawed as sparks. Other myths claim the foxes ran so fast that when their tails brushed across mountains or touched low hanging branches it created flashes that lit up the sky.  

Electrons emitted from sunspots produce them.

In the 1900s, science proved the highly charged particles give off light when they collide with molecules in the Earth's atmosphere. It was Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland who theorised that electrons coming from sunspots glow when funnelled to the North Pole by our planet’s magnetic field. That’s why the best places to observe the Northern Lights – like north Finland – are typically found at latitudes between 65° and 70°N.

We are currently in Solar Cycle 25.

Sunspots are counted every day by astronomers and used to calculate how magnetically active the sun is. This activity rises and falls over an 11-year cycle. Right now we are in Solar Cycle 25, which started in December 2019. Our current solar cycle is the 25th since records began in 1755. Its ‘solar max’ is anticipated throughout 2024 and 2025.

The Northern Lights take on many different shapes.

From barely discernible to extremely vivid, the aurora may display in all sorts of ways, depending on the lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field. You might see them in wavy patterns hanging like curtains or in swirling arcs and bands. Sometimes they look like beams or have starburst formations. In other instances, you may notice them as ovals or patches across the sky.

You can hear the Northern Lights in the right weather.

This was once considered nonsense, as sound waves could never travel fast enough to be audible. However, in 2012 scientists in Finland recorded sounds made during various Northern Lights displays and proved they were generated from electricity discharged in the atmosphere due to weather. So 'auroral sound' – such as crackling, hissing and whooshing – may be perceptible during a temperature inversion.

Now that you know more about the Northern Lights, it’s time to plan a visit to True Lapland to experience them for yourself. Indeed, they are every bit as awe-inspiring as people say.

There are so many ways to experience the magic of the Northern Lights with us. From forest treks and husky sled rides to snowmobile adventures, snowshoeing and staying in glass cabins, our Arctic Spirit holidays have been crafted to help you make the most of this incredible wonder.

So come search with us across the dramatic fells, frozen lakes and silent, snow-covered forests in northern-most Finland. We hope to show you Lapland in a whole new light!

Find details & book our Arctic Spirit collection here