If you travel to anywhere close to the aurora oval, you will find various tour guides or companies offering ‘aurora chase’ tours. Having been on a couple of them myself, I have noticed from hearing conversations of fellow tour mates that there seems to be a misconception about what an ‘aurora chase’ tour actually involves with some thinking that ‘aurora chase’ tours involve literal high-speed chases in the night to pursue the magical light show in the night sky. To fully explain what an ‘aurora chase’ tour involves, it is helpful to review what causes the aurora.

What causes the aurora

The aurora is a captivating cosmic phenomenon that occurs when charged particles from the Sun, primarily electrons and protons, collide with gas molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. This interaction happens when the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun, is guided toward the Earth’s magnetic poles by the planet’s magnetic field. The Earth’s magnetic field channels these particles into the polar regions, where they accumulate in an area known as the aurora oval. When these high-energy particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, they excite these molecules to higher energy states. As the molecules return to their original energy state, they emit light, which is visible as the aurora. This light display can range in colour, from green and pink to red and violet, depending on the type of gas molecule involved and the altitude at which the collision occurs.

Understanding this cosmic ballet sets the stage for what truly happens during an ‘aurora chase’ tour.

What happens during an ‘aurora chase’ tour

Some people believe that an ‘aurora chase’ tour involves chasing the appearance of the aurora by travelling to different locations, but that cannot be further from what an ‘aurora chase’ tour actually involves. As indicated above, the aurora is created by mechanics of a literal cosmic scale. Chasing the aurora is near impossible as the small distances which the tour can travel within an evening is quite insignificant compared to the vast area over which the aurora will appear when the solar particles interact with the Earth’s atmosphere.

What ‘aurora chase’ tours actually chase is based on something more terrestrial – Earth’s weather. In order to see the aurora, there needs to be minimal cloud cover. ‘Aurora chase’ tour guides will choose time and location based on weather forecasts for locations.

Another factor which contributes to good aurora viewing conditions is how much light pollution there is – like viewing any cosmic wonder, the lower the light pollution the better. The ‘aurora chase’ tour guide will have to work out where and when to get to a particular location based on where there are known dark sky areas, and what the cloud cover forecasts will be for the various dark sky areas within the relevant driving distance of the tour’s starting location.

Those locations are then further narrowed down to those dark sky areas which offer an open view of the night sky, especially towards the direction of the aurora oval. This is generally northward, but depending on the location, you may only need to look up, or even southward.

patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet

If you find yourself in a dark sky area with a clear and open view of the night sky towards where the aurora oval is usually found, then there is no need ask your tour guide to change locations to ‘chase the aurora’. You are already in an ideal place to wait for the aurora to perform the graceful lightshow. This patience, a quiet companion on the ‘chase’, teaches us not just to await the aurora’s elusive grace, but to savour the profound silence and majesty of the polar night, reminding us that nature’s greatest gifts often come to those who wait. And even if you cannot see the aurora with the naked eye, chances are it’s there, very faintly, as if teasing you with its elusive beauty.

Even if you do not see the aurora, you will likely be greeted by a view of the night sky which you do not normally see – a view of the dark veil of night on which countless diamonds glisten. Over 80 per cent of the world’s population is estimated to live under light polluted skies, so even if you do not initially see the aurora, look up and admire just how many more stars you can see.

An ‘aurora chase’ tour is so much more than just chasing after the aurora. It is an adventure exploring the collaboration of the cosmos and Earth’s own weather phenomenon. It is a delicate dance with nature to seek out the perfect conditions for the universe to reveal its beauty in all its grandeur. It is also an opportunity for an appreciation of the unpredictable forces at play, which makes it all the magical when you finally manage to see the aurora’s glorious lightshow in the night sky.