The “Blue Peeping Hole” in Sweden to Watch the Northern Lights

Make your dreams of seeing the northern lights a reality by knowing where to go, what to know and whom to visit. Heard about the “Blue Peeping Hole” in Sweden to Watch the Northern Lights?

There is in fact a little-known meteorological phenomenon that makes a tiny village in Arctic Sweden one of the best places on Earth to consistently see the Aurora Borealis. In the Swedish province of Lapland near the Norwegian border, you find Sweden’s northernmost and largest municipality Abisko, 195 km (121 ml) north of the Arctic Circle.

Related: Norwegian Scientist Solved the Mysteries of Spectacular Aurora Borealis

Lights Over Lapland was founded by Chad and Linnea Blakley nearly a decade ago based in one of the best places on Earth to see the Northern Lights: Abisko National Park. It’s considered to be the original aurora tourism company in this area.

Abisko is home to a “blue hole“, a patch of sky that extends 10 to 20 sq km over the village, Lake Torneträsk and Abisko National Park and that remains clear regardless of surrounding weather patterns. This is a meteological phenomenon called a “blue hole”.

Abisko National Park was proposed and established in 1909, the same year Sweden’s first laws on nature conservation were created, by a group of prominent Swedish scientists, including the well-known geologist Fredrik Svenonius.

Lights Over Lapland offers a full range of exciting adventures including several different evening activities and multi day, all-inclusive aurora holidays with a focus on the Northern Lights.

Related: A Swedish Village of Magical Contrasts

Due to the fact that Abisko lies within the Auroral oval and has a very long dark season, there are plenty of Northern Lights around. Thanks to its position in the eastern side of the Scandinavian Mountain Range along the Norwegian-Swedish border, the area is blessed with cloud-free conditions.

The purpose of the Abisko National Park was to “preserve an area with northern Nordic fell nature in its original condition and as a reminiscence for scientific research”. The region has proved to be of much scientific interest, as is shown by the Abisko Scientific Research Station which exists to study the area. Furthermore, the national park was intended to be a prominent tourist attraction.

“We are incredibly proud of the fact that 99% of the guests on our multi day adventures have seen the lights while in our care. All our exciting activities focus on helping our guests see the northern lights while offering the highest levels of service possible. Most of our tours include photography equipment for no additional charge so that you can capture the northern lights for eternity and share them with your friends and family when you return home,” states the owners of Lights Over Lapland.

Related: Seducing Northern Lights in Scandinavia

The meteorological phenomenon “blue hole” is due to the fact that the dominating wind direction in this area is from the west, which means that moist air masses from the Atlantic have to rise to higher (colder) altitudes to pass over the Scandinavian Mountains. When this happens, clouds form and the air lose moisture through precipitation. In Abisko, on the leeside of the mountains, the air is now drier and sinks to lower altitudes – clouds disintegrate, hence the ‘blue hole’.

The Abisko Scientific Research Station was first established in 1903 approximately 31 km west of Abisko in Vassijaure. After a fire in 1910 a new station was built in its present location in Abisko in 1912 and opening in 1913. The research station was incorporated within the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1935. It is used primarily for biological, climate, ecological, environmental, and geological research and contains on-site laboratories as well as off-site field research stations.

Lights Over Lapland is also the proud owners of Aurora Sky Station webcam which has captured a new image of the sky above Abisko National Park every five minutes for nearly ten years. The company is among the highest ranked activity providers in Scandinavia on Trip Advisor with more than seven hundred five-star reviews.

The “Blue Peeping Hole” in Sweden to Watch the Northern Lights, compiled by Tor Kjolberg

All images © Lights Over Lapland AB