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Northern Lights
Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis
Witness the extraordinary phenomena of the ‘Northern Lights’ in Tromso, Norway’s ‘Paris of the North’. By night, enjoy the effervescent atmosphere of the world’s most northerly university town and sample fresh fish dishes in myriad local restaurants. By day, enjoy a thrilling husky safari, go ice kicksledding or take a polar walk.
‘The Northern Lights’ or ‘Aurora Borealis’, to give them their proper name, are a natural phenomenon, totally unpredictable but a magnificent spectacle when atmospheric conditions are just right. The Norwegian scientist, Kristian Birkeland, first gave the world an explanation for the Aurora by observing how electron rays from the sun collided with the earth’s magnetic field, followed it down to the magnetic poles and created an explosion of light.
Visible from October to April, Tromso is one of the world’s best spots from which to see the lights as well as being a city, (first christened ‘The Paris of the North’ by visitors in the 19th century), in which to enjoy yourself. We cannot guarantee you will see the Northern Lights (no-one can) but we can promise you a brilliant holiday, with the best chance possible - and numerous excursion options to make your trip one to remember
Where can I see the Northern Lights
We offer specialised northern lights holidays in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, each offering a unique experience where can see the Aurora at its' best.
Will I see them
As with any natural phenomenon, sightings of the Northern Lights cannot be guaranteed, but we will increase the chances of you seeing them by putting you in the right place at the right time.
There is an 11 year cycle of solar activity, and we are drawing near to the peak of increased activity, and thus increased sightings of Aurora, so now is a good time to travel (winter)
How to Photograph the Aurora
If you intend to take photographs of the Northern Lights with a compact camera, then you are unlikely to obtain a satisfactory result without a degree of luck.
However, you do not need expensive equipment to obtain a good photo, just patience and a tripod. Your camera will need to be able to set exposure times of 20-30 seconds. The better lens you have, the better the aperture, and subsequently the shorter exposure time. An aperture of f1.4 is about the best you can have, though f2.8 will suffice and anything above that will require longer exposures. Setting ISO to 400 will achieve a good balance between noise and quality.
Videoing the Northern Lights
This is virtually impossible with consumer equipment, but there's no harm in setting it up on a tripod and seeing what you can obtain.
Another way of creating a film of the Northern Lights is to use time lapse photography over a sustained period, for example a frame every 60 seconds for 3 hours.
Forecasting the Aurora Borealis
This is generally relatively accurate, and depends upon solar magnetic index. The higher the Kp (on a scale of 1 - 10) the better the viewing. Local weather conditions will also obscure sightings.
When to see them
Activity is throughout the year, however it is only possible to see the Northern Lights when it is dark and clear of cloud, so this precludes the Arctic summer months, where there is no darkness.
Activity is usually at its most intense at the equinoxes (March and September), and at the peak of a sunspot cycle (and the 3-4 years following).
The time of day makes little difference, though viewings tend to be greater between 17:00 and 02:00 - though perhaps this is because people are asleep at other times !
