Northern Lights can be seen in the northern or southern hemisphere, in an irregularly shaped oval centred over each magnetic pole. The lights are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south. Scientists have learned that in most instances northern and southern auroras are mirror-like images that occur at the same time, with similar shapes and colors. Because the phenomena occurs near the magnetic poles, northern lights have been seen as far south as New Orleans in the western hemisphere, while similar locations in the east never experience the mysterious lights. However the best places to watch the lights (in North America) are in the northwestern parts of Canada, particularly the Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Alaska. Auroral displays can also be seen over the southern tip of Greenland and Iceland, the northern coast of Norway and over the coastal waters north of Siberia. Southern auroras are not often seen as they are concentrated in a ring around Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean. Areas that are not subject to 'light pollution' are the best places to watch for the lights. Areas in the north, in smaller communities, tend to be best.
Researchers have also discovered the auroral activity is cyclic, peaking roughly every 11 years. During the winter in the north is generally a good season to view lights. The long period of the darkness and the frequency of clear nights provide many good opportunities to watch the auroral display. To see the Northern lights you need dark skies and from early-April until late-August, the Aurora may be blazing across the Artic firmament but it is visible only to scientific equipment, as the skies are just too light for the human eye ti see the show. As a naturally occurring phenomenon, the appearance of the Northern lights is notoriously difficult to predict any further advance than two hours before before it happens.