THE BEST TIME TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS IN ICELAND

For many travellers, the chance to see the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights in Iceland is one of the main drivers for planning a trip to the country outside the peak summer season. If you’re hoping to catch sight of them, you’ll want to time your visit to give you a good chance of viewing this heavenly show. But when is that? We’ll take a brief look at the scientific processes that create the aurora borealis and discuss when is the best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland.

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are lights in the sky caused by activity that originates on the surface of the sun. The science behind this process is fascinating: the sun is actually a huge star that acts as a rotating mass. At its heart are gases, primarily hydrogen. In addition, at the sun’s core, some hydrogen is turned into helium through the process of nuclear fusion.

During solar storms, massive clouds of electrically charged particles are flung out into space, travelling millions of miles in the form of solar flares (where matter flows out of a sun spot that’s been created) and coronal mass ejections (violent explosions that scientists are still trying to understand).

Such activity occurs as a cycle. The sun has magnetic fields which connect at Earth’s poles. When these magnetic fields reverse, about once every 11 years, there’s a surge in solar flares and coronal mass ejections. When these reach the Earth’s poles, their charged particles collide with atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere – mostly oxygen and nitrogen.

The collisions cause energy to be transferred from the particles to the gas molecules, in a process scientists call “excitation”. When the gas molecules return to their normal state, the excess energy is released as light. Its colour depends on the gas – green indicates oxygen while purple is nitrogen.

This is what we know as the Northern Lights – the aurora borealis. In the southern hemisphere, people refer to them as the Southern Lights or aurora australis. In both cases, forces within the magnetic field create the wavy patterns and curtain-like formations that we associate with the aurora.

In this article, you can read a more detailed explanation of this fascinating process.

You’ll often read that the best time to see the Northern Lights is in mid-winter. In some respects this makes sense. It stands to reason that these are the months that see the longest hours of darkness, after all, and therefore when you can see the Northern Lights most easily if they show up.

In Reykjavik around mid-winter, sunset at its earliest occurs about 3.30pm and the sun doesn’t rise again until about 11.25 the following morning. Further north, in Akureyri, the sun sets about 40 minutes earlier at this time of year and rises about 15 minutes later. That means in Iceland as a whole, there are only a few hours of daylight.

But the length of the day changes quickly at high latitudes. As we approach the end of February, the days are already considerably longer. Though it’s still winter, there’s a lot more daylight to play with. Up in Akureyri, sunset takes place after six in the evening and sunrise well before nine. By then in Reykjavik, the sun doesn’t set until about 6.30pm. As you can see, even in winter, that’s a lot of variation.

If you’ve already been on a Northern Lights tour at that time of year, chances are you’ll know that it’s also often when you experience the coldest weather. Standing around in such conditions requires some pretty warm clothing and boots with a thick sole. Even so, it you’re outside for any length of time, such cold weather is going to start to make its presence felt, so you might want to carry a flask of hot coffee and some hand warmers too.

Snow storms can also occur frequently, with the north of Iceland statistically receiving more precipitation than the south. While snow is falling, there’s cloud cover, and where there’s no break in the cloud, all that auroral activity is frustratingly going to be hidden from view above it.

Even afterwards, any heavy snowfalls or, especially, a landscape thick with ice can make getting around more challenging. Though vehicles are fitted with winter tyres and tourists can pull on crampons over their shoes, there’s still a bigger chance of slips and slides. That’s not great at the best of times, but especially so if you’re carrying expensive photographic equipment that can be easily damaged.

Actually, you don’t need to go at this time of year at all. You might be surprise to learn that statistically peak winter isn’t the most ideal time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. Timing your aurora hunt for the shoulder seasons – in this case the months immediately either side of winter – will actually improve your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. The weather is likely to be better in September, October and March too.

One thing you might need to factor in, however, is the time you set off on your Northern Lights excursion. In September especially, you might need to wait until later in the evening for it to be sufficiently dark to be able to see the aurora borealis or make an extra effort to find a location free of light pollution.

This shouldn’t pose too much of a problem, as many tourists will be happy to enjoy a leisurely evening meal before heading out to commence their Reykjavik Northern Lights hunt. If you have younger children with you, perhaps consider letting them have an afternoon nap as they’ll be up way past their usual bedtime.

The spring equinox falls between March 19th and 21st, while the autumn equinox takes place between September 21st and 24th. At these times, when day and night are of an equal length, there is a much higher chance of a geomagnetic storm taking place. As we’ve already seen, the particles that are ejected create the Northern Lights.

That is why statistically, you’ve an increased chance of seeing them on these dates and of it being much more intense. However, remember that you’ll also need plenty of luck to see the aurora borealis in Iceland (or anywhere else for that matter), as without clear skies this activity will be hidden from sight above the clouds.

Our understanding of celestial phenomena has developed relatively recently and for many centuries, people could only stare up at the heavens and wonder. But it’s human nature to want to find an explanation for what we don’t understand, and in the absence of scientific fact, its place was taken by legends and lore. Then, as now, the aurora inspired awe and reverence among those who witnessed it.

As a consequence, the Northern Lights are intertwined with Iceland’s cultural heritage. In Viking times, early in Iceland’s settled history, people believed that the presence of the Northern Lights signified that Odin, the supreme god in Norse mythology, had dispatched the Valkyries to bring fallen warriors to Valhalla, his grand hall. The aurora was thought to be the reflections caused by light catching on the Valkyries’ armour and shields.

The Vikings also had alternate explanation for the Northern Lights. When those fallen warriors made their way to Valhalla, they would cross the Bifröst Bridge that connected the human world (Midgard) to that of the gods (Asgard). This shone like a rainbow, hence the belief that it could be seen when the aurora borealis appeared, but some believed that it was the warriors’ breath or spirit that they were looking at.

Learn more about the mystical tales and legends behind the Northern Lights in this article.

If, like many off-season visitors to Iceland, you do see the Northern Lights, you’ll probably want to grab a photo or two. But the aurora borealis often shows up without warning and for frustratingly fleeting moments, so you’ll need to be fully prepared and know what camera settings work best up front.

Ideally, you’ll carry a DSLR as you can switch to manual mode for full creative control. Increase the ISO as high as possible and set a long-ish exposure – perhaps around 30 seconds or so, but experiment to see what works best in the location. Aperture control is also going to help as you’re trying to get as much light as you can into the camera to maximise those all-important colours.

Keeping the camera steady is vital, so to avoid blurry images you’re best to carry a tripod. Make sure it’s robust enough to cope with Icelandic winds! Remote shutter releases can help avoid jolting the camera too. Finally, pack spare batteries – the cold can be draining – and plenty of memory cards. Take lots of images so you can sift out the best later on.

Even if you have a smartphone, it’s also possible to take a decent shot of the Northern Lights. Learn how to use the in-built camera’s night mode and make sure you know where to find and how to adjust the settings. It takes a little practice but you can get a great image and a big advantage of using a smartphone over a DSLR camera is that it’s much more lightweight and will easily fit in your pocket.

In this article, Iceland's local science celebrity, Star Sævar shares some expert tips on how to photograph the Northern Lights like a pro, whether you’re armed with a smartphone or a DSLR.

Some visitors to Iceland are keen to see the Northern Lights in Iceland on foot. If the aurora borealis is strong enough, it’s sometimes possible to see them right in the centre of Reykjavik. However, light pollution can present a challenge, as it has the effect of washing out the sky so that the colours of the Northern Lights aren’t as intense.

Self-driving is also a possibility, with several prime locations for viewing the Northern Lights located a relatively short distance from the capital. Nevertheless, many visitors don’t want the hassle of trying to locate the aurora borealis on unfamiliar roads in the dark; if you’ve enjoyed a glass of wine over dinner you shouldn’t be behind the wheel in any case.

And so, while there’s no reason you can’t find yourself a dark spot and wait for the Northern Lights to show up, booking a Northern Lights tour in Iceland brings with it certain advantages. For starters, handing over the reins to a local means you can simply enjoy yourself and relax, from pick up to drop off.

You’ll tap into the expertise of those monitoring the Northern Lights forecasts, space weather forecasts and cloud forecasts. Though such information can be found online, it can be tricky to interpret if you don’t have a scientific background. In any case, by letting someone else keep track of the data, you’re freeing up time to enjoy your holiday rather than pore over websites.

In the lead up to our Northern Lights tours from Reykjavik, we make sure that we stay abreast of where the optimum Northern Lights viewing locations are and we know where it’s safe to wait for them. In short, you tap into the local knowledge that ensures you’re in the right place if and when the aurora makes its appearance.

Our Reykjavik Northern Lights tours are carbon neutral too. They operate on days when we think there’s a good chance of viewing the aurora borealis, but you don’t have to worry if we feel that it’s necessary to cancel as refunds are automatic and carried out quickly. We’d recommend that you book your tour for as early in your holiday as possible so that you can reschedule it for a subsequent night when conditions improve.

Our tour guides speak fluent English, but we offer audio guides in Spanish too so that you don’t need to miss out on the commentary if that’s your native tongue. This background information will help you develop a greater understanding of the Northern Lights and why they happen.

The Northern Lights don’t show up every night, even in places like Iceland, though that makes seeing them all the more thrilling when they do make an appearance. Witnessing the aurora borealis will be a very special moment and one that you’ll treasure long after you return home. Take a look at our selection of Northern Lights tours and make a reservation so you don’t miss out!