As the nights grow longer and the air turns crisp, summer in the northern hemisphere may be coming to a close as a mesmerizing natural phenomenon begins to take center stage in the northern skies. 

The aurora season is upon us, offering a dazzling display of lights that captivate observers around the world. 

Here we explore what to expect from the northern lights this season, providing insights into aurora origins, best viewing practices, and expert predictions.

Auroras, commonly known as the northern lights and the southern lights (aurora borealis and aurora australis, respectively), are natural light displays predominantly seen in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic. 

They are caused by the interaction between solar wind — streams of charged particles ejected from the sun — and Earth's magnetic field. When these particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere, they create the vibrant colors of the auroras, ranging from green and pink to red and purple.

What to expect this season

This year's aurora season promises to be particularly exciting due to the heightened solar activity associated with the current solar cycle. As auroras are triggered by energetic particles from the sun, their occurrence, simply put, is dependent on solar activity. The more active the sun, the higher the chance of vibrant aurora shows — which is exactly what we can expect over the next few years.

"Looking at the sunspot number, which correlates directly with the likelihood of stronger aurora displays, predictions from both 2019 and 2023 for the intensity of the coming maximum are already being exceeded," astronomer, author and chief aurora chaser at Hurtigruten, Tom Kerss told Space.com in an email.