The "500 rule" [0] is useful to know too. Without it, you risk star trails at higher exposure times. Then there's the need to avoid light pollution. This map [1] isn't super recent, but it's good enough for most use. And lastly, just having enough solar activity [2] to see them, especially at lower latitudes.
On the very rare occasion I get to photograph the Northern lights in the Netherlands [1]. Conditions have to be just right, and you can almost never make it out with the naked eye. But the camera does wonders.
A couple of tips:
- Avoid the full moon, it's not worth doing it unless the Aurora is strong and you're in Iceland or something [5]
- Watch the NOAA satellites [2,6]
- Under moderate light pollution a CLS or UHC filter can help, they make clip-on ones for Canon and Nikon [3,4]. Although nothing beats dark skies.
If you are in truly favorable conditions it is actually very easy to see the northern lights with the human eye. It is very in-your-face, ghostly, and hard to miss. Northern Norway and Sweden are smack in the middle of the aurora belt and have a much greater chance of such conditions than the Netherlands, and you see highly-visible auroras almost every couple of weeks when there is a clear sky, and less-visible auroras almost every day there is a clear sky. I would recommend Abisko followed by Tromso if you want near-ideal conditions.
On less-favorable days what you say is true: it is hard to see with the naked eye and a camera works wonders.
I know, I saw it a couple of times in Iceland and even in the Netherlands (shouted in excitement :p). In Iceland, Tromsø or similar it's easy to see with the naked eye (although not as vibrant in colors). In the Netherlands you have to be lucky (but luck favors the prepared mind…so keep an eye on NOAA satellites as they can give alerts for the upcoming hour). It's important not to look for that signature green look, but rather look for white streaks or other contrail/"cloud"-like formations, you can confirm aurora with your camera or by seeing it "dance" a little bit in less ideal conditions. Do note that solar activity goes in 11 year cycles, we've just had a peak (albeit a very mild one), next one is in a decade likely. But aurora is fickle a thing: solar, geological and weather conditions have to be right if you want to spot it at lower latitudes. And it can appear and dissepear right before your eyes.
As someone who grew up in far north Sweden, a few caveats:
1. Clear skies are not very common. Ours is a cloudy land.
2. You also need a firmly set sun. This rules out ~6 months.
3. The clear arctic winter nights that often provide a spectacular show are really cold.
4. Ideally, you'd be outside of city lights.
That said, the Northern Lights are among the coolest things you can ever see. Photos don't do justice. I would definitely recommend it over Midnight Sun, which at the end of the day look exactly like any other sun.
1. Abisko has way more clear nights than almost any other place in the arctic circle. Yes, it can be cloudy, but your chances in, say, Canada are comparatively very grim.
2. This applies to just about anywhere within the arctic circle.
3. The cold winters of arctic Sweden are much, much milder than similar latitudes of Russia or Canada. That there exist plenty of towns, an electrified train line, and actual infrastructure says a lot about this.
I'm lucky to have a good view northwards off the northern coast of Scotland with very little light pollution. Occasionally an AuroraWatch UK alert will come through when conditions are right - little or no moonlight and clear skies. I have some nice lenses (EF 35mm f1.4, Tokina 11-16mm f2.8) and a trusty Canon 7D. I think I still have quite some time before feeling confident taking photos of the aurora. In real life it's moving quite subtly. The camera settings used to capture the aurora (and minimise noise from high ISO) result in the movement being captured as motion blur. Hoping to find the sweet spot soon.
When there's a very strong aurora I think folks even see it as far south as the border. That's pretty uncommon though. I'm located right near Dunnet, the most northerly point of the mainland. Aside from summer when it's light most of the day, you may be able to see the aurora a few times a month. It's up to chance though, as the conditions need to come together. Strong auroras are less common. There are a couple of good Facebook groups if you search "aurora" and "scotland" or "uk". The Shetland webcams are pretty good too: http://www.shetland.org/60n/webcams/aurora-archive
On holiday in Iceland with my wife right now and it has been 100% cloudy the whole time :( We're going to the Aurora museum as a consolation prize. Very impressive pictures though!
It was 100% cloudy when I was there in Sep, then at 2am in a crappy cabin outside REK we had a clear night and took some amazing pictures. Don't give up hope!
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 57.0 ms ] thread[0]: https://petapixel.com/2015/01/06/avoid-star-trails-following...
[1]: https://djlorenz.github.io/astronomy/lp2006/
[2]: http://www.aurora-service.org/aurora-forecast/
A couple of tips:
- Avoid the full moon, it's not worth doing it unless the Aurora is strong and you're in Iceland or something [5]
- Watch the NOAA satellites [2,6]
- Under moderate light pollution a CLS or UHC filter can help, they make clip-on ones for Canon and Nikon [3,4]. Although nothing beats dark skies.
[1]: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joelkuiper/albums/721576649734...
[2]: https://twitter.com/JoelKuiper/lists/aurora
[3]: http://www.astronomik.com/en/filter-gegen-lichtverschmtzung-...
[4]: https://www.cyclopsoptics.com/filters/stc-astro-multispectra...
[5]: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/joelkuiper/24662326646/in/a...
[6]: https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/
On less-favorable days what you say is true: it is hard to see with the naked eye and a camera works wonders.
1. Clear skies are not very common. Ours is a cloudy land.
2. You also need a firmly set sun. This rules out ~6 months.
3. The clear arctic winter nights that often provide a spectacular show are really cold.
4. Ideally, you'd be outside of city lights.
That said, the Northern Lights are among the coolest things you can ever see. Photos don't do justice. I would definitely recommend it over Midnight Sun, which at the end of the day look exactly like any other sun.
1. Abisko has way more clear nights than almost any other place in the arctic circle. Yes, it can be cloudy, but your chances in, say, Canada are comparatively very grim.
2. This applies to just about anywhere within the arctic circle.
3. The cold winters of arctic Sweden are much, much milder than similar latitudes of Russia or Canada. That there exist plenty of towns, an electrified train line, and actual infrastructure says a lot about this.
[1] http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0LC0mqp...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJAR3-UvSQ