The Ultimate Guide to Seeing the Northern Lights for the First Time
Northern Lights, captured using a professional camera with a tripod, just outside Rovaniemi, Finland, in March 2022
Gazing out across a frozen lake in Finnish Lapland, not far from Rovaniemi, a silvery haze emerges on the northern horizon. At first, it’s barely perceptible — only a very subtle glow above the dark silhouette of snow-cloaked conifer trees in the distance. It’s only because we can see a band of green on camera that we know for sure what we’re looking at. These are the Northern Lights, a phenomenon caused by the collision between charged particles ejected from the sun and gases in the earth’s atmosphere.
It’s been a lifetime ambition of mine to see them for as long as I can remember, and now the moment has arrived, it’s not immediately quite as spectacular as I’d hoped. Within minutes, though, the real show begins. A distinct arc of light weaves its way across the sky, now clearly visible to the naked eye. It begins to flicker and ripple, temporarily morphing into luminous pillars before reforming as an ethereal tangle of pale green ribbons.
How it looked to begin with by the naked eye…a barely perceptible grey haze on the northern horizon
The temperature continues to plummet towards -20°C, but my eyes remain transfixed as my exposed fingers grapple with the biting cold to capture some photographs in between staring, neck craned, utterly in awe. Just when it looks like the lights are starting to fade, they charge back up at even greater intensity than before. For over three hours, the aurora borealis dances into the night.
It happens again the following night, but this time the sky is cloudy, largely concealing the spectacle, but for a peculiar, lightning-bolt shaped aurora momentarily piercing through. Such is the advantage of being this far north, almost directly on the Arctic Circle, that you don’t always need optimal conditions to catch a glimpse.
My desire is satiated for now, though I’m already eagerly awaiting the next time. While I am by no means an expert on the subject, after years of feeding my obsession through the medium of countless books, articles and videos — and now seeing them in person — I have accumulated enough knowledge to offer some (hopefully) useful pointers for anyone looking to check the Northern Lights off their bucket list.
Go as far north as possible
It might seem like an obvious point, but it really does make an enormous difference. While the Northern Lights can be seen in Scotland on a fairly regular basis, and sometimes even further south during especially intense geomagnetic storms, the easiest way to maximise your chances is to travel as far north as possible. The further north you go, even relatively weak levels of geomagnetic activity can produce magnificent aurora displays.
The auroral oval, which determines the geographic range where the Northern Lights can be seen, isn’t constant — but, in general, it typically hovers between latitudes of 60–75°N (for reference, the northernmost point of the UK, on the outer limits of the Shetland Islands, is 60.5°N). Cities such as Rovaniemi, Tromsø and Reykjavik all lie comfortably within this belt, which, along with their excellent transport links, makes them ideal starting bases for Northern Lights expeditions.
Minimise light pollution
Raw, unedited image captured on iPhone 13, handheld with no tripod.
I’ll admit, I was sceptical about this at first. Throughout all my time spent researching the Northern Lights and how to see them, avoiding light pollution was a consistent theme. Yet I’d also seen plenty of images of the aurora borealis above various Scandinavian cities, and even as far south as Edinburgh and Glasgow from time to time. Surely if the lights were dancing and the sky were clear, you’d see them regardless? Well, this is sometimes the case, but only when geomagnetic conditions are strong enough.
On an average night, getting as far away from the nearest town or city really does significantly improve your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. Even in the middle of nowhere in Finnish Lapland, a small torch and the glare of an iPhone screen was enough to temporarily hamper my visibility. Likewise, street lamps can make it much harder to see what’s actually going on in the sky — as can the moon, when it’s especially bright. The longer you give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness, the more attuned you’ll be if and when an aurora display kicks off.
Know what you’re looking for
What you see with the naked eye
Perhaps the biggest misconception about the Northern Lights pertains to their colour — or, more accurately, the colour picked up by the human eye. The fluorescent greens, reds, purples and pinks you see in the most impressive images are not what you’ll see in reality. That’s not to say those colours aren’t there, it’s just that modern cameras are able to detect a much vaster spectrum of colour than the human eye.
What it looks like on the iPhone 13 camera
Individual quality of vision varies, but from my own experience, the Northern Lights resembled more of a greyish haze to begin with. The best way I could describe it is that the sky looked unnaturally bright on the horizon. Once they grew in intensity, the shapes became much more distinguishable and I could clearly detect a milky, pale green tinge. It was only upon looking at my photographs afterwards, however, that the neon greens and reddish hues were evident. As long as you set out with that expectation, you won’t be disappointed. The stronger the display, the more colour you’ll pick up — but still not on par with what technology can capture.
Don’t pay too much attention to forecasts
I cannot emphasise this enough. There are loads of apps and websites out there which offer detailed predictions and real time updates on geomagnetic conditions which determine the likelihood and expected intensity of a Northern Lights display. Much of the time, they offer an accurate indication of what’s likely to happen on any given night — but they should always be taken with a pinch of salt, used as a source of information rather than a definitive guide.
On the night I saw the Northern Lights in Finland, the KP index (a widely used indicator of geomagnetic activity, measured on a scale of zero to nine) wasn’t looking great. I had been checking obsessively throughout the day, and the KP index was likely to be no higher than one or two on the night I’d planned to venture out on an aurora hunt. As it happened, the lights made a pretty magical appearance.
Even relatively low geomagnetic activity (KP1–2) can produce dazzling displays like these in the Arctic Circle
Of course, being north of the Arctic Circle helps, but no statistical model can ever fully predict what you’re likely to see. It works the other way, too. There are nights where the KP index is really promising — perhaps a five or a six — but there’s no aurora to be seen, because the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) isn’t sufficiently tilted south to allow the solar wind to penetrate the earth’s atmosphere.
A lot of elements need to come together for the Northern Lights to be visible, and while a failed attempt brings disappointment at the time, the unpredictability is part of what makes a successful aurora hunt even more rewarding.
Bring a good quality camera
Taken with a professional camera on a tripod
Full disclosure: I’m no photography expert. I don’t own a high quality camera myself, and I have limited technical knowledge about the specific settings and techniques used in capturing the best Northern Lights images. What I can say for certain, though, is that a long exposure time is key — ideally with a tripod, to keep your device perfectly still. This is what allows the camera to capture as much light as possible, and, in turn, produce the sharpest photographs.
Taken on a handheld iPhone 13 on night mode with a 10-second exposure time
That said, it’s still perfectly possible to capture fantastic images of the Northern Lights on a handheld smartphone. There are lots of specialist aurora photography apps available, but I simply used my iPhone 13 on night mode with a 10-second exposure and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the photos. It’s also worth noting that many aurora tour providers have a professional camera with them and will email high-resolution images to you afterwards.
Track the weather forecast in advance
It’s still possible to capture the aurora through the clouds and with light pollution…but it’s much easier with a dark, clear sky
The single most crucial aspect of chasing the Northern Lights is the weather. It doesn’t matter how promising the KP index looks — if the sky is blanketed by a thick layer of cloud, you won’t see a thing. This is where having your own set of wheels or joining a specialist aurora tour comes into play, as it allows you to travel as far as you need to go in search of a clear sky. Bear in mind that you can still see the Northern Lights through a break in the clouds, but the clearer the weather conditions, the better your chances of a truly dazzling display.
Make sure you face the right direction
During a really intense geomagnetic storm, the Northern Lights can be seen directly overhead, painting the sky with a kaleidoscope of vivid colour. Often, however, you’ll only see them if you’re looking towards the northern horizon with an unobstructed view — so having a smartphone or a compass at hand, to ensure you’re correctly oriented, is essential.
Stay patient
Patience is absolutely key to a successful Northern Lights hunt. Even on a clear night, when geomagnetic activity is predicted to be strong, it’s impossible to predict exactly when the aurora might emerge. It’s easy to feel disheartened and give up if you don’t see anything within the first hour or two, but the longer you stick it out and brave the cold, the more likely you are to be rewarded. Feeling tired the following morning after staying up late to catch an epic display is always worthwhile, but if you call it quits early and miss out on all the action, you’ll be full of regret.
