(Björkliden, SWEDEN) Aurora travel experts agree that the 2015 winter season is set to be the most active start for geomagnetic storms — which cause spectacular Northern Lights displays — this solar cycle. Seen very early this fall, strong solar storms have brought the Aurora Borealis as far south as the United Kingdom. This suggests that the upcoming solar season will bring significant viewing opportunities.
Data collected in August 2015 that measures activity from the Sun, has seen a 60%*1 increase in geomagnetic storms (K index 5 or more) compared to the same time in 2014, with very powerful storms (K index 7 or more) trebling*1 over the same period.
The difficulty has been that many of the solar storms that have caused these recent displays of the Northern Lights have been difficult to predict, with many of the bigger events taking Aurora hunters by surprise.
Northern Lights travel expert Jonny Cooper, Director of Off the Map Travel, explains; “All of the data we’ve seen suggests that this could be the most active start to any Northern Lights season we have had this solar cycle. This is great news for Aurora hunters.” He continued, “The ability to forecast solar activity, and therefore displays of the Northern Lights, is however not an exact science, with many of the recent events taking experts the world over by surprise, making it impossible to estimate how this will develop for the rest of the Aurora season.”
For those looking to get the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights, experts recommend northern destinations under the Aurora Oval such as northern Sweden, Norway and Finland.
A ten-night small group guided Original Grand Aurora tour visiting some of the best Aurora viewing destinations across Norway, Sweden and Finland with Off the Map Travel costs £5999 ($9220 USD at the time of this writing) per person based on double occupancy. Flights are not included. The Grand Aurora includes an expert guide, accommodations with some meals, reindeer sledding, a Tromso guided city walk in Norway, Northern Lights dinner cruise, dogsledding tour, Aurora photography evening, Aurora Sky Station exclusive dinner trip, a visit to the ICEHOTEL in Sweden, a three-border point snowmobile trip in Finland, Northern Lights tour in a snowmobile-pulled sled, and a reindeer and culture tour. Other extras include meals in distinctive restaurants and traditional Scandinavian coffee stops on travel days.
For more information on Northern Lights holidays visit www.offthemaptravel.co.uk, www.ILoveNorthernLights.com, call +44 0800-566-8901 or email [email protected].
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