How much knowledge and effort is required to see Northern Lights?

Question

Since I will be heading to Norway next week and there seems to be heightened solar activity recently, I've been reading articles online about seeing the northern lights. I have read at least 20 articles and one of the most common recurring phrase is hunting for northern lights. Numerous articles recommend booking a tour to get a chance at spotting them. Those tours appear quite pricey to me for the few hours that they last.

How hard is to for someone who has never seen the northern lights to spot them? In photos, they look like gigantic phenomena and seem like they would be hard to miss! Are they only visible for very brief moments or only visible from certain angles? If one keeps looking at the sky northwards for several hours, would an aurora be easily noticeable?

When looking for the northern lights, does changing positions or directions by walking around or driving affect their visibility?

Answer 1

Aurora spotting is hard because several factors have to align:

1. You have to be an latitude where auroras can be seen (generally 60°N+)
2. There has to be actually be an aurora occurring at a given time, which is a challenge because they're only partly predictable
3. Since auroras are very high up in the atmosphere, there have to be clear skies so you can see them
4. You want to be away from cities and other sources of light pollution
5. It has to be night (well, it's technically possible to see auroras during the day, but they're quite faint because the sun is a pretty big source of light)

Tours can help with factor number 4 by taking you to a nice dark elevated spot, and maybe number 3 if there happens to be a microclimate nearby with better weather.

But if all five factors align and you're outside looking at the night sky, trust me, you'll notice them.

I've never heard of a camera being able to see an aurora that the human eye couldn't. It's generally the other way around: they're quite difficult to capture on camera, particularly the fact that they move and seeing these curtains of light whip around at seemingly impossible speeds is in fact one of the most amazing things about them.

Answer 2

I used to live north of the Arctic Circle at the northern edge of town, and frequently saw the northern lights from my apartment window. At the time, I studied and worked on a campus housing the Swedish Institute for Space Physics, and had direct contact with lecturers and researchers specialising in aurora.

You certainly don't need any tour to see the Northern Lights (but you might still enjoy one if you have plenty of money).

It's easier to identify weak aurora on camera for reasons others have mentioned, but it's much more spectacular to see in person because it moves. If you see weak aurora, keep watching. Your eyes will get used to the dark and chances are that it gets much stronger.

Once you're in the right spot, you need about as much knowledge to see the Northern Lights as to see a rainbow. Meaning none at all.

When you're around the Arctic Circle, you don't need heightened solar activity to see the Northern Lights. At normal solar conditions, if you go outside between 23:00 and 02:00, when the sky is clear, if you spend an hour looking at the sky, you have around 70% chance of seeing the aurora. In fact, the auroral arc moves south during high solar activity, so if you're in the far north during a major solar storm, it could even happen that it's visible at 50°N but not at 70°N!

How hard is to for someone who has never seen the northern lights to spot them?

Good aurora is easier to see than spotting a rainbow. You might miss it if you're looking at your smartphone, but if you are looking at the sky, you cannot miss it.

Are they only visible for very brief moments

When there is high activity, it will go on for hours, and it will be highly dynamic. I have seen the aurora dozens of times. It has never happened that I stopped watching because activity stopped. In most cases, I stopped because I wanted to go to sleep or had other obligations, and a couple of times I stopped because it became cloudy.

It will of course stop at dawn or become invisible when clouds move in, but if you start watching at 23:00 it's a long session until dawn, and probably you'll have had enough well before (you'll probably be cold). Although it happened that I went to bed at 00:30 to have others tell me the next morning that at 02:00 it got even more spectacular (of course, the most spectacular aurora happens right after you stop watching, in particular if others continue and will testify for you).

or only visible from certain angles?

The angle does not matter.

If one keeps looking at the sky northwards for several hours, would an aurora be easily noticeable?

Certainly, yes. During dark clear-sky conditions under normal solar activity, around the Arctic Circle, if you watch for an hour, your chances are around 70%. You're already in the north, so the aurora can be anywhere: north, south, or straight overhead.

When looking for the northern lights, does changing positions or directions by walking around or driving affect their visibility?

Assuming clear-sky conditions, no — except that the less light pollution you have, the more spectacular they look. But if the aurora is strong, you can see it even when standing right under a street light.

Numerous articles recommend booking a tour to get a chance at spotting them. Those tours appear quite pricey to me for the few hours that they last.

I guess those articles are paid for by those tour guides. I've seen "wilderness overnight snowmobile tours" that go in circles for hours only to end up to a spot that is less than 100 metre from a road. By all means, book a tour if you enjoy the experience of a tour, but if you just want to see the aurora, don't.

Some advice:

• It takes a long time to get dark in the north. An hour after sunset is too early. My best sessions have been while camping and setting my alarm clock to the middle of the night, then crawling out of my tent and staring at the night for a little while. But also when commuting home after work between November and February.

• Usually, when watching the aurora, it's cold. During clear-sky conditions, temperatures inland can drop to -15°C already in October. That's very cold to sit still for hours, even with good clothes. September is better, but even a mild night at -5°C might feel cold if you're from a warmer climate. Get a good sleeping bag, find a windstill spot, and lie down outside. While waiting for the aurora, you can enjoy the stars and the stillness of the nature. I doubt any guided tour will take the time to do so, and it will be a memorable experience even if you're unlucky and the northern lights do not turn up that time.

• There exist smartphone apps that warn you for aurora activity. There also exist various scientific institutes that operate all-sky cameras. That way, you can set an alarm and wait inside without freezing.

• Clear-sky is key. This is the only thing where local guides might add value: they should know the local weather and know, depending on weather conditions, which places are more likely to be clear. They might also have access to measurements that you don't. While living in the north, I was surprised that in October, Northern Norway often had clearer skies than Northern Sweden. I write might, because I don't know if guides actually do that. I think the local guided tours when I lived in Kiruna always went to the same spot, had a barbecue, stayed for a bit, and went back to town (I met them sometimes while cycling around at night). But maybe some guided tours do a better effort.

• If you see faint aurora, keep watching. Chances are good that it will get stronger within an hour. Indeed, faint aurora might rather look like thin cirrus, although if you look carefully, you will notice that 1) it is too dynamic for thin cirrus, and 2) you see stars through the "cloud". Clouds can be dynamic, but clouds that you can see stars through on a still night are not usually particularly dynamic. A photo with a long exposure (or very light-sensitive sensor) will clear any doubt between cloud or aurora.

• There exist some places with glass-roofed tourist accommodation. I've never booked any, and they probably aren't cheap, but I imagine it should be great for aurora-watching. If you do have some budget, I would seek those out before seeking out a guided tour.

Answer 3

If the northern lights are strong as they are around this time you may well find/see them without a guide. If you have the time you can go out after dark and try it solo and if not happy with the results still go for a tour later in your trip, if the weather forecast is favourable.

If you take a camera or use you phone make sure you know how to set the exposure for a long time (several seconds at least) and take something to support it.

On a good night (I am told) it will colour the whole sky looking roughly north. On a poor night you will have to be in a good spot and know what to aim the lens at. Not having any light pollution toward the north, clear sky and a safe spot off the main roads will help.
I only had very poor nights, ten years ago on Iceland in September.

Answer 4

I suggest you check for an app relevant to Norway. Some apps work globally. Perhaps it's a good idea to pick one (or two) before you head off and familiarise yourself with them. The one I use in the UK has the option to generate notifications when the geomagnetic activity is high enough at your location for it to be visible. This helps with not needing to watch the skies all the time.

Then, familiarise yourself with your phone's camera, as it can pick up faint auroras which are initially not noticeable to the naked eye. Some have long exposure modes that come in handy.

The rest is relatively easy. If you get a notification from the app or the reported disturbance is high enough, scan northerly directions with your phone's camera. In my case (an iPhone 12 Pro), I don't need to take pictures. Just scanning the horizon with the phone camera app on, spots auroras sufficiently.

Once you spot one, after taking a sufficient number of pictures, you may try your luck at a darker location away from light pollution, in case it is not already visible to the naked eye.

Answer 5

It is possible. A phone really help to identify it is an aurora or not: on phone you see the classic green, but on naked eyes... it depends. It seems most of us just see greyish "clouds". It seems it also depends on age.

In any case, from my experience, I give you some point why a tour is giving us, so you can device what you can do yourself:

• you need dark sky, so you need to know the right spot (car lights ruins your eyes for some minutes, so you should not be near a road with traffic without some barriers to block light). Also you should consider mountains which my hide some part of the sky.

• also good weather. Coastal location may get fog (common in Norway), so you need to go inland (and knowing how much). Note: sometime there is no fog also on coast.

• driving at night. It is usually a night expedition, e.g. from 9pm to 3am, and because the previous point, you may be driving 1 or 2 hours, in cold and road covered with snow and ice).

• equipment: on tour they give me the outer layer (jacket, slacks and very nice boots): I could set on snow for many minutes and not getting any cold. You can buy them (and I had some lesser version), but it takes also a lot of baggage space.

• Tours are in contact each other, so if your guide will not spot aurora, an other one may tell them where to go. Or stopping at right time. You may miss such cases.

• also you should get something hot, which help on waiting. Not a complex stuff to self-organize, but if you are flying you may get restriction on some heaters).

But there are also disadvantages: costs and they may be full. But also you will not find auroras every day, so you may get an expedition for nothing. Some they will ge a discount for next day tour, but still ... a lot. So possibly the best option is to camp (or find an hotel) already in right spot) and stay few days. No driving at night from expensive cities (auroras skyrocketed the prices).

You should factor that not every day auroras are visible (checking photos of past tours I got that idea that maybe there is 50% chance, and I was last winter, so on a high activity period).

My best auroras was not on guided tour, but on a two night ship trip from Tromso to Kirkenes: There were some clouds on sky, but few, so probably I was lucky, but then I had auroras above me, on most directions, and we saw them moving, starting a new curtains, merging, etc. Impossible not to spot. On tour and on Kirkenes auroras were mainly low on horizon and less impressive (which you may miss if you do not have a phone: they may look like clouds, and if you do not stop, you will not find them moving).

In general: I think auroras spotting is expensive. Tours add some more costs, but with the advantage of saving a lot of time if you have a thigh schedule. If you can find some good place inland, and have more time (in days) to prepare, find good spots, get the lucky day, etc. I re recommend you to self-organize.

Answer 6

You can absolutely see the Northern Lights without going on a tour. I have personally seen them in Alaska, before cell phones were commonplace, and they are impossible to miss with the naked eye if you are far enough north, have a dark sky, and suitable weather conditions.

I saw them during a period of almost no solar activity. You are going to be in Norway during the absolute best viewing time possible!

You must make seeing the Northern Lights your only "tourist" destination. It is a profound experience; there is nothing comparable. The night I saw them, they only occurred for less than a minute, and it was incredibly emotional.

If I had had a cell phone or a camera with me, I would have missed it completely!

I just quickly checked some Norway tourist sites, and their only purpose is to sell services and products. The locals don't take tours when they have out-of-town guests who want to see local landmarks, no matter what state, city, or country they live in. The only time you would ever need a tour company is if you don't want to drive and there's no local transportation, or if that tour company literally owns the rights to that tourist attraction and that's the only way you can get in. Everything can be done on your own, so much cheaper, and at your own pace. Tour companies are for convenience, not for adventure.

My mother and I went from London out to see Stonehenge. We took a bus, got to sightsee along the way, and it cost us literally like 1/50th of what the tour company cost.

Talk to the locals at a coffee shop or somewhere people have time to spend in conversation. Perhaps even your flight crew will be local or have some tips for you.

From a quick read on tour sites, I gleaned that it's best if you're up above the Arctic Circle and inland because the weather patterns are more conducive. Seriously, just look up, look North, and that's it. They should be everywhere right now. If you use your phone, you'll miss it. You don't need it up that high; you don't need it.

I saw the Northern Lights when I was working as a flight attendant over Chicago once. They were gray, but nobody had a cell phone then, so we didn't know that this could be done.

Your eyes will be perfectly fine; if you use a camera, you will miss it.