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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jada Jones

How to see the Northern Lights from Manchester without needing to pack a suitcase

The Northern Lights are considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The natural light display is also known as Aurora Borealis and for many it is a bucket list item to see it in person.

But while sometimes people in the most northern parts of the UK might catch a glimpse of the iconic phenomenon, the lights typically occur around the auroral oval, meaning it's best seen from Iceland, northern parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, Canada, Alaska and southern Greenland.

READ MORE : Travel review: The unique blend of awe inspiring Alps and city life in Innsbruck

Planning a trip to one of these countries on the chance of seeing the lights is an expensive prospect involving not just flights and accommodation but also cold weather gear for the duration of your adventure. But this winter there is a simpler option to cross this off the bucket list - with flights going from Manchester Airport from just £229.

Omega Breaks offer a series of 3-3.5 hour round trip flights to experience the lights from the night sky with special commentary from The Sky At Night experts. The experience starts with two presentations from expert astronomers at the airport or in a nearby hotel.

From there it's straight to the departure lounge to board the unique flight experience and take to the skies. After take-off and about 25 minutes before the lights are expected to come into view the cabin is made as dark as possible to allow for eyes to adapt to the darkness.

It's then that you can admire the sights all with the help of the expert astronomy team. Passengers are required to rotate seats throughout the experience so that everyone has an equal chance of viewing the lights, with the rotations are done in the dark. If you'd prefer a row to yourself this can be arranged for an extra charge.

After viewing the night sky the lights are switched back on in the cabin and refreshments are served as the flight returns back to land. You can book to see the lights from Manchester this November or February here.

As the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon successful sightings are not guaranteed.

However organisers Omega Breaks say they take weather and other conditions into consideration and tries to eliminate factors that would make it difficult to see the spectacle.

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