How to Observe the Northern Lights: A Tour Leaders Experience
Ever since I moved to Norway seven years ago, I’ve been obsessed with observing the northern lights. Luckily, when I started working as a tour leader I could live out my obsession and take people to see the northern lights all season long.
When researching the lights online, there are so many travel companies writing ‘how to see the northern lights’ guides, and I felt as though the information wasn’t written by someone who had actually spent time observing the lights.
So, here is my guide to observing the northern lights based on my own reading and experience standing outside during those long, cold nights.
In this article...
What are the northern lights?
The northern lights, explained
I don’t want to get into this too much; there are much smarter people out there who can explain it better than I can.
In summary, the northern lights are created from a collision between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the atmosphere of the earth.
When these particles hit the earth’s magnetic shield, they are pushed around the oval that circles the North Pole (because magnets). They then interact with the upper parts of the earths atmosphere, such as oxygen, and the energy that is released from this collision makes the northern lights.
Here’s a YouTube video from VisitNorway that explains it:
And here is a video from TED:
The colours of the northern lights
The colour of the northern lights depends on the type of atom involved in the collision. Red northern lights occur at altitudes of 150 miles and above. Green occurs at altitudes of 100 miles and above and is the most common colour you’ll see. Purple and blue occur at altitudes of up to 60 miles. Purple is the second-most common colour you’ll see.
Where should I observe the northern lights?
I’ve seen the northern lights all over Norway and Finland, so here are my recommendations. I’ve had the best luck in Finland – Ivalo and Inari, to be exact. Finland is colder than Norway in winter, which means you have more chances of having a clear night sky. Finland is also inland, meaning there’s less risk of bad weather. The coast of Norway is exposed to bad weather, and this means it will be cloudier. Finland is also nice and flat, making it easy to see the horizon.
Many take Hurtigruten to see the northern lights, and I have seen them on Hurtigruten several times. However, I find it harder to photograph the lights on Hurtigruten because the ship is always moving, and this doesn’t work well for a long exposure.
I feel the Lofoten Islands is overrated for observing the northern lights. It’s very mountainous, very prone to bad weather, and located pretty far south. Of course, many have observed wonderful northern lights there. If you want to better your chances, I recommend going further north.
When should I visit for the northern lights?
The northern lights are visible as long as it is dark, however the weather is not kind to us every month.
September & October are great if you want to observe the northern lights and not be standing in the snow. There can be some bad storms at the end of September, but for the most part the weather is okay. It’s also not so cold, so you won’t freeze waiting outside! Don’t come in early September; the window for observing the northern lights is small due to it not being dark enough yet.
November, December, and January can be very overcast. Yes, they are the darkest months of the year, but they are also the month’s most prone to bad weather. Also, it’s dark during the day so it limits your day activities.
February and March are wonderful. The snow is at its deepest and you get normal daylight cycles. This means you can spend the day doing an activity like a husky or reindeer sled or snowshoeing, and then at night you can go out and see the lights. The only downside is that it’s the coldest time of year, so you’ll be quite cold at night.
How long should I spend up north?
I recommend spending 5-7 days up north minimum. 1-3 nights is simply not enough to try and see the northern lights.
Glass igloos - are they worth it?
At the moment, there are these glass igloos popping up all over northern Europe. They are basically cabins with glass rooves so you can lie in bed and observe the northern lights.
They are typically so expensive, so are they worth it?
To an extent, yes. There’s something romantic about cuddling up in bed and watching the northern lights. But if I’m thinking realistically, if the northern lights are good enough to be observed from my cabin, I want to be outside photographing them! So don’t feel like you must book a glass cabin to see the lights. I instead recommend a hotel or place of accommodation that will alert you if the lights are out.
Understanding the apps
It’s important to pay attention to the northern lights forecasts. The northern lights aren’t guaranteed every night. Their strength fluctuates and you can have a clear night sky and still not see anything.
Key factors:
- KP index. This indicates how strong the lights are. It doesn’t always matter; I’ve seen the northern lights at North Cape at KP0. However, the rule of thumb is that the higher the KP index, the more chance you have of seeing the northern lights. It also signifies how far south you can be to see them; to see them in Bergen, we need at least KP4. To see them in Tromsø, you only need KP1.
- Speed. This indicates how fast the particles are moving. The faster the speed, the more chance you have of seeing the dancing effect.
- BZ & BT. These numbers should ideally be in the negatives, but it doesn’t always matter
- Density. This is important for knowing how the lights will appear. The denser the particles, the higher chance of seeing visible strands of lights. If they aren’t dense, the lights may just look like fog.
What time of night do I see the northern lights?
The northern lights are visible throughout the night. However, there is a ‘thicker’ part to the ring around the pole, and the thicker part is over Scandinavia between 8pm and midnight. Of course, if the lights are very strong the thicker part is even thicker and you can see the northern lights better throughout the night.
Should I book a guided tour?
Yes.
My number one bit of northern lights advice is to book a guided tour. Northern lights guides are professionals and have connections all over the region. They will drive you out to wherever the northern lights have been sighted by their contacts, so this increases your chances even more.
Tromsø is the best place in Norway to book a guided tour. Yes, Tromsø is coastal, but they will most likely drive you inland to observe the lights; often as far as Finland or Sweden.
Lapland is full of northern lights tours, so you are spoiled for choice there.
Sure, you may want to rent a car instead. But do you really want to be driving icy roads in the middle of the night in a place you don’t know while trying to figure out where to see the lights? No, of course not.
Guided tours are expensive, I know. But it’s worth it. You’re paying for peace of mind, experience, and safety.
There are advantages and disadvantages to booking a northern lights tour that has an additional activity, for example snowmobiling. The advantages are that even if you don’t see the northern lights, at least you’ve had a fun night out. Northern lights bus tours can be boring if there are no northern lights. The disadvantages are that the additional activities follow a set route and timetable, so they may miss the lights. By contrast, the bus tours are more flexible to go out looking for the lights.
How to observe the northern lights
To observe the northern lights, you need to have a dark night sky. It needs to be dark enough so you can see the stars in the sky. Ideally, you want to be as far away from light as possible. This means getting out of the city and finding somewhere pitch black. Generally, it’s dark enough to observe the northern lights between September and March.
For this reason, it’s recommended to go with a northern lights guide who will drive you out to somewhere suitable to view them.
Additionally, you need to have a clear night sky. The northern lights can be observed if it’s partly cloudy, but ideally you want 100% visibility in the sky as the northern lights can appear anywhere. The northern lights occur about 100km (60 mi) above the earth, so you need to be able to see stars.
How to photograph the northern lights
These days mobile phones are getting better and better and you can often capture the northern lights on your phone if it is two years old or less. However, the phones will never match a professional camera when it comes to quality.
If you plan on using a DSLR, make sure you have a tripod. The northern lights need long exposures (5-30 seconds) and you can’t hold a camera for that long without it going blurry. Keep the camera still.
Use manual settings if you have them.
The manual settings you want to use are:
- Focus. Use a manual focus and focus on the stars in the sky
- Shutter speed. Try and have an exposure of at least 5 seconds. Exposure time depends on how strong the lights are, how dense they are, and how quickly they are moving
- ISO
- Aperture. You want a f-stop as low as possible
I normally set it all up on my camera and connect it to the tripod before I head out for the night. It’s harder to get it already in the pitch black or if the lights are already out.
Wide angle lenses are recommended for using northern lights.
Try to find a nice view if possible. If your picture just has the northern lights in it, it can be a little dull. Take a nicely framed photo!
Bring extra batteries, the cold drains your camera quickly.
Also, when you bring your camera inside before to slowly acclimatise it to your hotel room. If the camera goes from too cold to too hot too quickly, the glass may crack.
Emma's northern lights diary
You can see all my northern lights sightings using the link below.
