A sighting is never guaranteed, but there are definitely ways to improve your odds.
Seeing thenorthern lightsis an elusive goal for many traveller . That ’s because get in on the action call for conditions to be just right . And no one — regardless of what they charge — can guarantee to make it encounter . ButSævar Helgi Bragasondoes have some gratuity . He still remembers dwell down in the winter gazing up at the whiz when on the spur of the moment mesmerizingaurora stormsstarted and became so promising they light up up everything around him , with graphic colors of green , red , violet , and pink . It almost feel as if he could partake them .
Those early experiences regulate the eternal sleep of his life . These days Sævar is an astronomy educator , science communicator , author , TV host , and director of theHotel Rangáobservatory in Iceland . He also runs the imagination icelandatnight.is for aurora pursuer . Given his obvious expertness , I recently call in him up and ask how folks can maximize their fortune of seeing this incredible phenomenon for themselves .
Thrillist : First off , what causes the northerly lights?Sævar Helgi Bragason : The northerly lights are due to a stream of charged subatomic particle from the sunlight holler the solar wind . The stormy blank weather can involve lodge by causing great power outages and affecting flight and satellites . However , it can also produce stunning , coloured , and dynamical northern lights .
Seeing the northern lights in Iceland is on many peoples' bucket list, but it does require some planning.|Photo courtesy of Hotel Rangá
How do you predict when they ’ll appear?I can foretell when the northern lights will appear by pay up very close care to space weather datum , mostly from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and various other datum source , pull together both in space and topically in Iceland .
We have satellite that monitor our sun constantly . They collect information about phenomenon on the sunshine and quad weather , which is then freely usable to everyone . This data forms the basis for predicting the northerly igniter , a few days or even a month in advance . Locally here in Iceland , we supervise magnetic turbulence measured at the Leirvogur Magnetic Observatory , where I work part - clip . When solar malarkey bump off Earth , Earth ’s charismatic line of business rattle around like clothing line on a blowy day . Our gaussmeter measure that and it allows us to figure out if northern light will appear . These local measurements and real - clock time space atmospheric condition data are exceedingly useful to promise what each night is fail to depend like .
What are the unspoilt month for northerly lights viewing?Time your trip-up penny-pinching to the equinox to increase your chances of see the northern lights . This might be the most unmanageable time to feel a hotel , so book early . Past data shows that , on mean , you are more likely to see the northern lights in March and April or September and October than at any other time of the year . However , keep in brain that this is an norm . Amazing northern illumination displays can occur at any time . It just depend on how our Sun is behaving .
Sævar Helgi Bragason, right, is something of a multi-hyphenate in the astronomy world.|Photo courtesy of Sævar Helgi Bragason
What time of dark do the northern lights unremarkably appear?The most coarse prison term for the northern Light to appear is between 10:30 pm and 1:00 am . However , that ’s an norm establish on past datum . They may appear earlier or later so you should pay ripe attention to material - time data , both local magnetic measurement and satellite data point , both of which are useable onicelandatnight.is .
Where do the northern light appear most often?The northern light are most unremarkably take in below a anchor ring - mold swath call the dawning ellipse that surrounds the Arctic . Iceland is ordinarily always under the oval which mean that northern light are go out from all over the country , almost every night around the equinox .
What touch on how bright and dynamic the northern luminousness will be?The brightness of the northern lights diverge due to different space weather conditions . Sometimes the solar wind is dissolute , sometimes it is slow . To see a proper show , we require the solar wind to be degraded and dense . If that happens , it does n’t count where you are in Iceland , you ’ll probably see the northern lights . They will also be brighter and more dynamic . However , an evening of low-down solar lead activity have in mind that only a weak radiance in the northern part of the sky is seeable .
The colorful lights are caused by solar wind.|Photo by Tom Allen, courtesy of Hotel Rangá
Why might the northerly lights not appear as predicted?Several factors impact whether the northerly Light Within will be visible , even when there is fast solar wind .
swarm cover can obscure the northerly lights , specially if there is a slurred cloud cover version . However , even on muddy nights , the northerly Christ Within may still be seeable through holes in the cloud so you may just want to alter your location . Light can also impact whether or not you could see the northern lights . Any type of light can interfere with your ability to see the northerly lights , including daylight , streetlights , and moonlight .
Why are the northerly twinkle so hard to predict?The northerly lights are hard to predict because solar wind is not uniform . As we already talk over , the quicker the velocity and the denser the air current the likelier you are to see a beautiful display over a expectant field . Moreover , for the northerly lights to be visible , the predilection of the solar tip ’s interplanetary magnetic battlefield needs to be turned southward to crack open up the magnetic arena and grant particles to flow toward the polar regions . Satellites supervise the speed , density , and direction of solar wind , but those component are hard to predict accurately more than a few hour in betterment Additionally , even when we screw there is a volley of solar wind there is often dubiety about when the burst will impact Earth .
Hotel Rangá is a luxury four-star resort about 90 minutes south of Reykjavik.|Photo courtesy of Sævar Helgi Bragason
What are your best gratuity for viewing the northerly lights?First , plan your sojourn around when the northern lights are most likely to appear . I also recommend plan a trip to see the northerly lights around a new lunation . It does n’t count if it ’s the first poop or the last fourth . Although Moon often is n’t anything to worry about , it can influence the visibility of faint auroras so this is another way of increase your chances of ascertain the luminousness .
secondly , bet at the space weather forecast.Icelandatnight.isshows the 27 - day prediction , which is the long - term forecast for solar wind , call the Kp - power . The Kp - index roam from 0 to 9 . The higher the number , the heavy the chances of seeing the northern igniter . However , the Kp - index does not describe how warm or brilliant the northerly light will be .
Third , staying in a dark location is your best choice because you do n’t have to go anywhere . you could stay put and hope for clear sky and good space atmospheric condition conditions . Hotel Ranga , where I campaign the on - site observatory , is ideally situated away from any other edifice . Hotel staff will also stir up you up if the northerly lights appear so you do n’t need to remain up all night retard the sky .
It seems like 2026, 2027, and 2028 will be great years to observe the northern lights.|Photo by Kristján Pétur, courtesy of Hotel Rangá
Fourth , be mobile if you may and engage a car . Even if you are staying at a dark placement , on nebulose night you might have to search for hole in the swarm natural covering to see the lights . you’re able to see a cloud cover foretelling onicelandatnight.isand compare it to the most late planet image by constrict the artificial satellite button on the website . I apply it all the metre to see holes in the swarm blanket and push with citizenry to that location . It ’s worked wonders !
Fifth , plan on abide for five to seven Day if you’re able to . At the right time of twelvemonth in Iceland , you are almost guaranteed to see the northerly light , as long as the sun is throwing solar wind in our focussing . If you visit during a meter of quiet solar activity you wo n’t see anything , even if you have clear skies .
Is there a full point of increased solar action follow up?Counterintuitively , decreased solar natural process in reality increase the chances of come across the northern lights . The sunshine is near the peak of its rough 11 - class solar cycle , and the best eld to see the northern illumination is just after the peak . Based on decennium of observations we can safely say that 2026 , 2027 , and 2028 will be the good eld to see the northerly lights during this solar cycle .
decrease solar activity also pretend it easier to predict when the northern light source will appear . When the sun is less active , legion coronal holes , or openings in the sun ’s atmosphere , can be on the sun at any given sentence . Coronal holes eject tight - moving solar wind into space , which is key to the constitution of northern lights . These coronal holes play a bit like a garden sprinkler and if Earth is within one of its streamer , we can see beautiful northerly light for a few nights in a row . These holes rotate with the sun and if they do n’t close in the meantime , they return 27 days afterwards to cause northern brightness level again . When the sun has a few coronal holes , predictions make amazingly well 27 mean solar day in advance , assuming they do n’t close in the meantime .
How can travelers make their northerly lights regard experience a great one?Personally , I ’ve always liked to determine the northerly lights in a jacuzzi with a lovely drink in hired man , like the jacuzzi at Hotel Rangá . Otherwise , the best viewing experience is to simply lie down on the ground and look up , awestruck at this awesome beauty . Just listening to the sounds around you in complete dark , all alone with the universe .
Knowledge , patience , and garment for insensate weather are the Florida key to successful aurora hunt . Also , be open to fancy other beautiful things on the celestial arena . The whitish Way is most easy seen in Iceland in the south in the early evening at the outset of September . Sometimes , planets and the Moon have celestial date that are beautiful . Meteors are often seen too . There ’s just so much lulu up there besides the northerly lights .
