All you need to know on viewing and capturing the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights or the ‘Aurora Borealis’ is a very fascinating natural phenomenon to watch. These natural lights display, caused by the Earth’s magnetic field and Solar wind’s interaction, convert the night sky into a vibrant canvas of colors.

Magnificent view of the Northern Lights

Best Places to see.

Countries situated near the arctic are considered the optimal geographical locations for viewing the Northern lights. Specifically in Norway, the high-altitude regions like Tromsø and Lofoten islands are attractive as best viewing destinations of Northern lights. These areas offer dark, clear skies with minimal light pollution, enhancing aurora visibility.

When can you see Aurora Borealis?

In Norway, the winter months are the ideal time to view aurora borealis. From late September to early April that is. During this time of the year the nights are long, and the skies are darker. The peak time to view the northern lights is typically from December to March due to the likelihood of clear skies. Being away from light pollution and city lights is essential to get a good view of the aurora to your naked eye. If all these factors are assured, sometimes you’ll be able to witness it as early as 6 pm in the day and as late as 6 am in the morning. The best time is between 10 pm to 2 am.

How to capture the Northern Lights

Taking photographs of the northern lights is a thrilling adventure. This requires a little technical skill with a camera. But even if you don’t have a basic skill in photography, you can always try and experiment with your camera or smartphone. We will guide you through a basic tutorial on the technical things to capture a good photo of the aurora. Remember, always try and do your own experiments with these. Anyone can take photos of the Northern lights.

Here’s something to read and get to know on the technical terms of photography. 

Brief tutorial on Aurora Photograpy

How to capture the Northern Lights

• First, think of the composition of the photo. Use some foreground details like mountains or people. Everyone can take photos of the sky. But being creative is the key for your photo to become visually attractive. Using a wide lens is always appropriate so you can get the advantage of a wider composition with foreground details as well.
• Make sure to always use a tripod. The Aurora is, most of the time not visible to the naked eye. You must use a low shutter speed to capture this magic which our naked eye cannot see. It is essential the camera stay still until the shutter is done with taking the photo. You will get a blurry image if you have the camera handheld.
• Turn off your flash in your camera settings. The darker the place you are, the greater the photo will be. So, make sure you are in the darkest place you can find and do not let any external lights disturb your photo.
• Set your camera to Manual Focus and set it to infinity.
• Set your aperture as wide as possible (f1.4 – f4.0)
• You can experiment with the ISO. Always for a night sky photo, a higher ISO is good. But also, you will see a lot of noise in the photo with a higher ISO. So, do your own experiment with ISO and set it to an ideal amount so you will have a clear picture.
• The main setting is the shutter speed. If you can see the aurora brightly to your naked eye, you can try a shutter speed of 5-10 seconds. For slow moving aurora, 15-20 seconds is ideal. At some instances, you won’t notice that there is an aurora to your naked eye. But there could be a faint aurora in the sky. Try using 20-25 seconds in these instances.
• Select your white balance as ‘daylight’. So, it will capture the correct colors of the aurora.
• If you are using your smartphone to capture this, try using a separate app where you can adjust the shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings. Most of the latest smartphones have a special in-built option named ‘Night-mode’. (Both in Apple and android) you can use these modes to try out capturing the Northern Lights. Make sure to use a tripod to keep your phone stabilized.

A view of the northern lights through the trees.

Capturing aurora is a fascinating adventure. It’s the most popular dream of every photographer and every stargazer in the world. By using the right techniques and tools, everyone can capture stunning images of the Northern lights. And we’re sure that the photo will be lifelong memorabilia for anyone.

If you have the same dream, make sure you call us and book your next journey to witness this magical phenomenon. At Asia Vacation group we offer expertly crafted tour packages to Norway where you can gaze at Northern lights. Check our packages here