What makes North Dakota unique?
While the northern lights are the strongest in the higher latitudes, such as Alaska, Scandinavia and northern Canada, North Dakota has many advantages and is one of the best places to view them in the lower 48 states. “In my opinion, outside of the higher latitudes, North Dakota is one of the best places to see the northern lights,” says Anderson. This is because the geomagnetic North Pole is located in northern Canada, 1,000 miles south of the geographic North Pole, making it 1,000 miles closer to North Dakota. “Locations at the same latitude across the globe in Europe are jealous of North Dakota’s ability to view the northern lights. Even though the latitudes are similar, the location of the geomagnetic North Pole puts us at an advantage,” says Anderson. North Dakota also has two advantages over the higher latitudes. The state’s dry climate creates less humidity and thus less cloud cover. “The shows may be more frequent in Scandinavia, but it has a very moist climate, creating freque
