Northern Lights

The northern lights look nothing like they do in photographs. In person, with moderate activity, what you see is a pale green shimmer that you might initially mistake for thin cloud. The camera, set to ISO 3200 with a 10-second exposure, picks up saturated green columns and faint pink fringing that your eyes, with their limited sensitivity in low light, largely cannot detect. Most first-time viewers are briefly disappointed before the activity intensifies, the movement becomes unmistakable, and any comparison with photographs stops mattering.

This gap between expectation and first sighting is worth knowing before you go. It does not diminish the experience; it just means that the first twenty minutes on any given night are often underwhelming before something genuinely extraordinary happens.

What Causes It

The aurora borealis is produced when electrically charged particles ejected by the sun travel through space on the solar wind and collide with gas atoms in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Earth’s magnetic field concentrates these particles toward the poles, which is why the aurora is visible in the far north (and its southern counterpart, the aurora australis, in Antarctica and southern South America). The colour of the light depends on which gas is being struck and at what altitude. Oxygen at 60 to 150 kilometres up produces the most common green. Oxygen above 200 kilometres produces a rarer red. Nitrogen contributes blue and purple tones.

The sun’s activity follows an 11-year cycle. The solar maximum, the peak of this cycle, occurred in late 2024 and early 2025. The period immediately following solar maximum typically sustains elevated geomagnetic activity, meaning 2025 and 2026 are among the strongest aurora years in a decade. NASA and NOAA both confirmed this; aurora displays in 2024 were visible from latitudes as far south as France, Spain, and the central United States during major geomagnetic storms. This enhanced activity is expected to continue through 2026 and diminish gradually thereafter.

The KP Index

Space weather forecasting services produce a KP index (geomagnetic planetary index), which runs from 0 to 9. A KP of 3 or above is typically sufficient for aurora viewing within the Arctic Circle. A KP of 5 or higher can push displays into northern Scotland, Scandinavia’s southern cities, and the northern United States. During solar maximum, KP 8 and 9 events have occurred multiple times per year.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center and the SpaceWeatherLive website provide 30-minute and 3-day aurora forecasts. Checking these the evening of your intended viewing is essential; the forecast from three days out is not reliable enough to plan on.

Where to Go

Tromso in northern Norway is the most popular aurora destination in Europe, with good reason. It sits well inside the auroral oval, has a tourism infrastructure geared entirely toward aurora chasing, and offers additional winter activities (dog sledding, whale watching in the fjords, snowmobiling) for the inevitable cloudy nights. Six-hour guided aurora chase tours cost around 1,750 Norwegian kroner (approximately 145 euros) per person in 2025. These tours use minibuses to find cloud breaks, which is often more effective than staying at a fixed location. Accommodation ranges from central hotels at 150 to 300 euros per night to glass cabin experiences at significantly higher rates.

Abisko in Swedish Lapland is a smaller, quieter alternative and, for dedicated aurora watching, arguably the best single site in Europe. A specific combination of surrounding mountains creates a persistent microclimate over the valley that keeps skies clearer than surrounding areas on nights when cloud covers much of Lapland. Aurora statistics from Abisko suggest around 91 percent of visitors over a three-night stay see the lights. The Aurora Sky Station on Mount Nuolja, accessible by chairlift, sits at 900 metres and offers a viewing platform and restaurant above the treeline. Accommodation in Abisko is limited; the STF Abisko Turiststation is the primary option and books out months in advance for the core winter season.

Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories sits directly under the auroral oval and has some of the highest aurora frequency statistics in the world. It is a less scenic destination than Norwegian or Swedish options but offers consistent viewing in a more varied landscape of frozen lakes and boreal forest. Aurora Village Yellowknife operates heated viewing pods by the lakeside. Flights from European cities require connections through Toronto or Vancouver.

Reykjavik is the most accessible option for western visitors but the worst for aurora watching within the group. The city’s light pollution is significant, the weather is unpredictable, and viewing from the city itself rarely produces the experience available further from urban centres. That said, driving 30 minutes out of Reykjavik on any clear night within aurora season, and using one of the several forecast apps available, is a legitimate approach for those combining an Iceland trip with aurora watching as one of several goals.

When to Go

Aurora season runs from September through April, when nights are long enough for darkness. The equinoxes in September and March historically correlate with elevated geomagnetic activity for reasons related to Earth’s magnetic field orientation relative to the sun. October through February offers the longest dark periods in the Arctic Circle. December and January have the most dark hours but also the coldest temperatures and the highest rates of cloud cover in maritime-influenced climates like Norway and Iceland.

Avoid the week around a full moon if aurora watching is your primary goal. The moon’s brightness can reduce your ability to see faint aurora displays, though strong events are visible regardless.

Photography

A camera that allows manual settings is essential. A tripod is non-negotiable. The basic starting settings for a moderate display are: aperture f/2.8 or wider, ISO 1600 to 3200, shutter speed 8 to 15 seconds, focused manually to infinity. As activity strengthens, shorten the shutter speed to 1 to 4 seconds to capture movement in the curtains without blurring. A wide-angle lens between 14 and 24mm gives the best coverage of the sky.

Your phone, particularly any recent flagship model with a night photography mode, is more capable than most people expect. The results will not match a dedicated camera with a fast prime lens, but on a strong KP 6 or 7 night the phone will capture something meaningful.

Spare batteries are a practical necessity in temperatures of minus 20 or below, which Abisko and Yellowknife regularly reach in midwinter. Keep a battery in an inside pocket.

Practical Notes

The clothing requirements for several hours outside at minus 15 to minus 25 degrees Celsius are not trivial. Merino wool base layers, a mid layer, and a serious insulated outer layer (rated to the expected temperature) are the minimum. Separate insulated trousers. Thick wool socks and insulated boots rated to minus 30. A hat that covers the ears. Mittens rather than gloves. Guides at Tromso-based tour operators often comment that European visitors consistently underdress.

Patience is the other requirement. Aurora cannot be scheduled. Over a four-night stay in a good location during a high-KP period, most visitors see at least one significant display. Over a single night, you may see nothing. The honest answer to “will I see them?” is: probably, if you give it enough nights and pick a good location, but certainly not on demand.