Watching Nothern Lights
Note: these Northern Light pictures have been captured in Svalbard, not in Iceland
How to watch Northern Lights
Watching Northern Lights is actually much simpler than you might believe. Though you might miss them as they may look like regular clouds if you don't pay attention.
How to recognize them
- Importaant : Human eyes see Northern Lights rather grayish, just like clouds (not green, blue or red as on the pictures)
- If you believe you're in front of one, just take a picture with your cell phone, avoiding the landscape: you will immediately see the beautiful colors (or not, if it is a cloud)
- Northern Lights appear suddenly in the sky, such as mist of condensation on a glass; they move slowly but they do not float away with the wind
- Hence, if you suddenly see a 'cloud' in the middle of a plain clear sky, that for shure is a Northern Light. Take your camera and shoot to see if it is colored !
Where to go to see them:
- You must be in a region close to the Poles, ideally around 2000 Km away from the Poles (Iceland is the ideal place)
- Go to places with wide open sky
- You must be in the darkness: Northern Lights can't be seen during day light (hence no Northern Lights in the summer in Iceland)y
- Make sure the sky is not cloudy, you can't see Northern Lights through clouds
Northern Lights forecast
Northern lights depend on solar activity (see explanations below). There are forecasts about when or where Nothern Lights may appear, and there are great apps to help you tracking them.
We recommendthis the following App (developped in conjunction with universities):
When are there dark nights in Iceland
This Time and Date web site will give you the necessary information.