With just over a month to go before the start of the 2025 / 2026 northern lights (aurora borealis) season and with solar activity levels still being quite favourable, it might be the time to think about a trip to where you can see the aurora as well.

What is the aurora?

Without being too geeky about the scientific ins and outs, in very general terms, the aurora is caused when charged solar particles are blasted from the Sun towards the Earth. The particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field which brings the particles towards the magnetic poles, forming the auroral ovals around the Arctic and the Antarctic (which, at present, also happen to correspond near enough with the geomagnetic poles). Most people will speak of the northern lights versus the southern lights because the auroral oval around the Antarctic is generally located over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica whilst the Arctic auroral oval is generally located over land, which makes it easily accessible to humans.

Depending on which of our atmospheric gases the charged solar particles interact with, the aurora takes on a different colour. Oxygen produces green and red auroral displays, with red appearing when the charged solar particles react with oxygen at higher altitudes which usually happens during more energetic display. Nitrogen produces auroral displays which are usually blue, pink or purple.

“When shall we three meet again?”

The trio of space weather conditions, terrestrial weather conditions (so clearly not “in thunder, lightning, or in rain”), and your good self need to meet in order to be able to see the aurora. Aurora season usually starts from mid to end of August and then through to around April in the Arctic. The long dark nights of winter – or even polar nights – give you more opportunities to see the aurora since you need the darkness of night to see them. When I have been in the Arctic Circle, I have seen them from anywhere from 19.00 to even maybe 03.00, so the long Arctic winter nights will give you more hours of darkness and more chances of being able to see the aurora.

“Where the place?”

The auroral oval generally spans from around 60° to 75° in latitude, although the location and the expanse of the auroral oval itself can vary depending on space weather conditions. During the solar storms of May 2024, there were reported sightings of the aurora even from as far south as Mazatlán, Mexico, which is at a latitude of around 23° N.

Ideally, you also want to be able to find somewhere with minimal light pollution – the darker the night sky, the easier it is to spot with the naked eye. Depending on my destination, I will look at booking accommodation which is not in the city itself. Also, considering going on aurora “hunts”, where guides will drive you far from the light pollution, or if the weather is not ideal, then the guides will often “chase” areas of clearer weather to maximise chances of seeing the aurora.

Whilst on the topic of aurora “chases”, I thought I’d just remind everyone that you are not actually chasing the aurora itself – that is a cosmic phenomenon. What you are chasing is areas of good weather. If you are already in a dark sky area with clear skies and there is no aurora on display, then do not be too worried about staying put. You cannot “chase” space weather conditions, but you can chase terrestrial weather conditions. If you’re interested, my post here has a bit more about the misconceptions around aurora “chases”.

Funnily enough, the answer to the question of which heads this section – “where the place?” – can probably actually be accurately answered by “upon the heath”, since many areas of heathland are often not under light polluted skies.

Having said that, it is also possible to see the aurora from light polluted areas if the display of the aurora is strong enough. I live on a latitude of around 51.5° N, and during a solar storm in October 2024, I was able to see the aurora with my naked eye from my bedroom window in the middle of a light polluted suburban area near London. I was able to see the faint hues of green, as well as seeing the sky light up reddish orange as if a city underneath was being razed to the ground. The aurora was even visible over Heathrow Airport during a strong solar storm in May 2024.

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Generally, you will also want a location with a clear view of the sky, especially towards the north. Although depending on how far north you are, you may have to look south to see the aurora. The space forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) at the time of writing helpfully illustrates my point – Svalbard finds itself north of the predicted auroral oval, and so to see the aurora from Svalbard, you may have to look south. If you are under the auroral oval, then the aurora can appear not only to the north, but east, south and west of you too. It can even appear directly overhead.

In terms of picking a holiday destination, I would not suggest planning a holiday around only seeing the aurora. The aurora can be a fickle mistress and therefore you should plan a holiday around something you actually want to do, and consider any aurora sighting as a bonus. For example, book a holiday to go skiing in Finnish Lapland, but do not book a holiday to Finnish Lapland with the sole expectation of seeing the aurora with no other activities planned.

Gear

Clothing

So, you have now answered the questions of “when shall we three meet again?” and “where the place?”, you will need to decide what to bring with you when you go out to shoot the aurora. Let us start with the most basic of gear – clothing. Very essential for your wellbeing if you are going to be outside for hours waiting for the aurora. When shooting the aurora, I have experienced temperatures as warm as -2°C to temperatures as cold as -37°C. The right clothing is therefore crucial.

I have seen people travel to locations where temperatures in winter can normally be -20°C and below, and for some reason they have turned up to a holiday in these locations without the right amount of thermal underlayers, or even the right footwear. Make sure you do your research about the climate of your destination for the time period you plan to be there, and have the right clothing. If you do not want to buy all the necessary gear to survive the cold of the Arctic winter as it can get quite pricey, then check to see if local tour operators may offer a rental service for the duration of your stay (not just for the activities you book with them).

When I was in Yellowknife where temperatures got as low as -37°C, I wore two layers of thermal underlayers, a sports tee on top to wick away any moisture, a down vest, and then a ski jacket on top. In terms of my bottoms, I wore two layers of thermal underlayers and an insulated pair of ski pants over them. I wore boots which are rated for temperatures as low as -50°C with additional beaver fur inserts and ski socks to wick away any moisture from my feet.

Also look into buying crampons or ice spikes which can be attached to your footwear, as you may need that extra grip when walking out and about on the icy ground. I lost my footing whilst walking up a hill in Tromsø and started sliding back down the hill and almost off the path, which was basically a shear drop into some trees. So do not do what I did; get some ice spikes / crampons!

Also, consider a head torch so you can light up your path without having to hold a torch, as you may need both hands for balance on the icy terrain, or for carrying your other pieces of kit.

Camera and lens

What camera you bring with you will depend on what you want to do with your photos. Are you simply wanting to share photos on Instagram? Do you plan to make large prints once home? Or are you looking for keepsakes by which to remember the trip? Answers to these questions will have some impact on what camera you decide to choose. I explain more a bit more about some of the considerations you may want to take into account when deciding what sensor size to pick in this post here.

I have managed to photograph the aurora (and sometimes featured the Milky Way photobombing) with cameras of various sensor sizes, ranging from only my phone’s camera to more traditional full frame cameras. The phone camera shots are, by far, not the cleanest in terms of noise and detail, but they serve their purpose of being a keepsake, or simply as something to share on social media or with friends in your WhatsApp groups.

For the lens, ideally you want something wide and fast. I had for a long time shot with the Leica Q2 and Leica Q3 which come with a fixed 28 mm f/1.7 lens. Having played with the OM System’s 8 mm f/1.8 Fisheye Pro (affiliate link) mounted on an OM System OM-1 Mark II (affiliate link), I have also come to love the fisheye perspective to capture more of the night sky. I have put together a list of cameras and lenses which I have personally used to shoot the aurora as a reference guide in case anyone is interested.

You will need to be able to manually focus your lens so that the stars are pin sharp in order to get as much detail in the night sky as possible. With the OM System OM-1 Mark II, there is an autofocus function called “Starry Sky AF” which automatically focuses on the stars without manually having to manually adjust the focus.

Tripod

A tripod, or something sturdy to rest your camera on, is essential since most shots of the aurora will be long exposure shots. I generally find my aurora shots mostly to be exposed for around 5 to 10 seconds, which is definitely NOT doable with handheld shooting. For travelling, I prefer the Billy 2.0 by 3 Legged Thing (affiliate link). I pitted the Billy 2.0 against the K&F Concept 68″ carbon fibre tripod (affiliate link) that my other half used, but I found that the Billy 2.0 was so much easier to use since the movement was so much smoother generally, and therefore easier to operate with gloved hands. Realistically though, you will not be able to easily adjust either tripod much after over an hour out in -37°C as the joints begin to freeze up.

Ziploc bags

If I’m going to cold climate places, like the Arctic, I will often bring a few big Ziploc bags which are big enough to hold my camera(s) and lens(es). I put my gear in the Ziploc bags which help control the change in humidity my cameras are exposed to when going from indoors to outdoors and vice versa, and I find it can help prevent condensation and lenses fogging up as the cameras and lenses can adjust to the change in temperature without much change in the air they are surrounded by.

Final thoughts

Photographing the aurora can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it is also one that requires patience, preparation, and, most important of all, good fortune. The right space weather, clear skies, and your own willingness to stand out in the cold all need to come together.

Hopefully, this post has helped to demystify a few aspects of aurora photography, from where and when to go, to what sort of gear and clothing to bring. I have included the exposure settings I used for my aurora shots beneath each photo, so I hope that provides a useful starting point for you to begin experimenting yourselves. Whether you end up seeing a faint green glow on the horizon or a full sky of dancing lights, the experience of standing under the aurora is unforgettable in its own right.

Above all, go prepared, manage your expectations, and remember that the aurora is a bonus and not a guarantee. Enjoy the journey, keep warm, and keep looking up. Definitely do not forget to look up as seeing the aurora with your naked eyes can be even more awe-inspiring than seeing it on the back of your camera’s LCD screen.