Iceland 7: Aurora Borealis

Thursday, September 5

Of course we had hoped to see the Aurora Borealis during our trip to Iceland. We were lucky to witness these lights on one night of our 9 day trip, but it did take some planning and good luck. I had arranged to travel during this week for some specific reasons. 

Here are the things I considered:

1)    Month – I chose September thinking it would be as warm as possible, yet the nights would still get dark for long enough to see the lights. During summer the sun barely sets, and obviously it needs to get dark to appreciate the night lights. In early September we had to wait until past midnight for the sky to get dark enough to appreciate the lights.

2)    Day – I chose this particular week as it would be the week of a new moon, where the sky could be its darkest. September 5 was the exact day of the new moon, so we got really lucky there.

3)    Location – I liked the idea of being in the north for the night of the new moon, although I doubt now that the location within Iceland would make much difference. If in a big city like Reykjavik or Akureyi you may have to drive 15-20 minutes out of town to get away from the city lights which can obstruct your ability to see the lights. From a small town you will still want to drive or walk a short way away to avoid light interference.

4)    Weather – Okay, so I can’t control this. But you can check the forcast at this website up to a week in advance. The most important forecast is really about the cloud coverage. We found it tough staying up to midnight waiting for the sun to fully set each night, with the amount of activity we were packing in to each day. We planned to go looking for the lights on the clearest night of our trip. And even if you’re not in luck, it’s always great just to observe the starry night sky without the light pollution of a city. The website also gives estimates for the activity level of the lights.

These photos don't capture the movement of the lights. For us, the lights appeared mainly to be a white glow painting strokes against the night sky, yet on a long shutter photo the light appears green. You just have to see them.

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