The strongest Northern Lights in 50 years

This winter, the Northern Lights over Norway will be the strongest we’ve seen in 50 years, according to the experts.

The Northern Lights is one of the major attractions for tourists visiting Norway in the winter, and people travel from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the famous phenomenon.

In Alta, in the county of Finnmark one of the places where the lights show most frequently, the tourism industry is very pleased with the most recent prognosis.

A large portion of the tourism in the North of Norway during winter is connected to the Northern Lights and related activities, says Per-Arne Tuftin, Director of Tourism in Innovation Norway.

Increased activity also means more attention from the media, which again can help attract visitors. "More travellers to the North of Norway in general, and especially Alta, is a good thing," says Trygve Nygård, CEO of Glød, a Norwegian adventure and travel agency.

Nygård hopes that people who have had a long-time dream of seeing the Northern Lights will now be tempted to come because of the increased chances of catching a good glimpse of the phenomenon.

The optimistic forecast itself came from NASA, the space administration in the U.S. This is the fourth year in a row that the Northern Lights have increased in strength, and it is the most active along the coast of Finnmark and Troms, on the North coast of Norway.

The lights can be admired from the fall and throughout the winter.

Take a look at a stunning video from Lofoten

(Aftenposten)

Julie Ryland