Northern Lights Guide

Iceland is one of the best places in the world to witness the breathtaking phenomenon of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

Here is a quick guide to help you have the best possible chance of seeing them!

Aurora Forecast

Northern Lights are inherently unpredictable, so it’s important to keep a close eye on aurora forecasts before heading out. You can check the daily updates on these websites:

• EmeraldSkies gives daily easy to read predictions

• NASA offers in depth technical reports

• Veður is the Icelandic Met Office

You can also use the Aurora app

Weather Forecast

Clear skies are essential for seeing the Northern Lights. The weather in Iceland can be unpredictable, with sudden shifts in cloud cover, so be prepared for any changes.

I mostly use:

• Windy for in the moment cloud and wind data

• Veður for general weather info

Time of Year

The Northern Lights are visible in Iceland generally from September to April, with the peak season being from November to February, these months offer the longest nights which increases your chances of spotting the Aurora. During the summer months, the midnight sun prevents the sky from darkening enough to see the lights, so plan your trip accordingly.

Light Pollution

Although sometimes the Northern Lights are strong enough to be seen from the middle of the city, generally the darker it is the better your view of the Aurora is, especially if it is a weak Aurora. I always recommend finding the darkest possible spot in your area, you can use this Light Pollution Map to help you find the darkest locations near you. If you are in a very bright area, facing away from the hotspots out to the coast for example is usually your best bet.

Time of Night

Patience is key when chasing the Northern Lights, they may not appear immediately, and they often fluctuate in intensity. Some nights the lights start very early between 18:00 and 20:00 for example, other nights they might only appear after Midnight, so the longer you wait the higher your chances are of seeing them.

The Aurora

Some general things to keep in mind about the Northern Lights and their behaviour.

One of my favorite things about the Northern Lights is that every time you see them it's a unique experience.

• Sometimes they are really intense and dancing quickly across the sky, and sometimes they stand pretty still just chilling up there.

• They often come and go in waves with very bright and very dark periods over the duration of the night.

• The most common colour is green, but they can also sometimes be red and purple.

• Sometimes they are active the whole night, and other times they only show up for a couple of hours or less.

• They don't always appear in the same place in the sky. They can be more North one night and more to the South the next night, and sometimes they even move between the two in the same night. This can make it hard if you are trying to photograph a subject like a mountain, waterfall, or church for example because the lights can appear behind you in the wrong direction. It's good to have a backup subject in mind in another direction just in case this happens, or be prepared to wait for the lights to hopefully move over your subject

As you can see there is a lot of luck involved when hunting for the Aurora, a lot of things have to line up just right to get the perfect conditions, but for me that just makes them all the more magical when it finally does!

Photography

I have spent countless beautiful nights photographing the Northern Lights, every night is a little bit different depending on location and the intensity of the Aurora but these are some general things to keep in mind for the best results.

For reference the gear I use is a Sony A7iv and a 14mm f2.8 lens.

• Lenses: it's best to use a wide angle lens between 10mm and 16mm

• F-stop: F2.8 or lower is recommended, but if you only have an F4 lens that's fine you just have to go a bit higher with your ISO or Expose for a little bit longer

• ISO: I mostly keep my ISO between 800 to 3200, some cameras handle high ISO better than others, make sure to test out your camera and see what level of grain you are comfortable with. Remember you can often denoise a bit when editing.

• Exposure: Typically my exposure time can range between 1sec - 10sec, you can go up to 20sec or higher if needed but keep in mind that stars start to smear a little at those exposure lenghts.

• Tripod: A good stable tripod is crucial to getting the perfect shot. Iceland can often be very windy so you might need to weigh down the tripod to stop it shaking.

• Focus: It's always best to manually focus your lens, find a bright star in your frame and use that to pull focus.

• Timer: I always use a 2 second timer to eliminate camera shake when pressing the shutter button. You could also use a remote shutter release, or even your connected phone on some cameras.

• Stabilization: It's recommended to turn off in camera image stabilization as that can introduce unwanted shakiness when using a tripod.

• Battery: It's a good idea to bring an extra battery or two and keep them in a warm place, as the cold winter night can drain your battery faster than usual.

The Moon

Keep in mind that on some nights the moon could limit your view of the Northern Lights a little bit, especially if it is a really bright full moon. On the Veður website you can see the moon phase and what time it sets. You can also use the app PhotoPills to see the exact location of the moon in the sky at any time on any day of the year so you can plan ahead.

The moon is not always a bad thing, for example if you are taking photos with a mountain as a foreground, if the moon is behind you and the Aurora infront then the moon can help light up the mountain making the photo even more stunning.