Photographing auroras

Photos – Info – Weather – Tips – Geo Info – Starry sky [- Tides]

General information

Photographing auroras is not something you can do "just like that," say, every night. First of all, there must have been sufficient solar activity with interaction with the Earth's magnetic field. So solar activity must effectively first have an effect on the Earth.

Furthermore, you must be in the right area on Earth where this Aurora occurs: that is usually from the 65th to the 75th parallel. It is at these latitudes that charged particles from the Sun enter our atmosphere and cause the Aurora. When determining an observing location , you will also have to consider its accessibility and safety risks (political risks, for example, but also other geo-related risks such as earthquake susceptibility, storms, and so on).

And then, of course, it should not be cloudy at that location either because auroras are created above the cloud cover. It is best to consult climate data for the candidate locations (long-term) and meteorological data (short-term).

We explain it all clearly below.

Tip: Wil je weten hoe Sterren en de Melkweg te fotograferen, dat behandelen we op onze Fototechniek pagina “Sterren & Melkweg fotograferen“.

We address successively the following questions:

You can click on any of the questions to go directly to the relevant section.

• How does aurora occur ?
• What types of auroras do we know?
• How strong is the Northern Lights?
• Where should I look to see the Northern Lights ?
• Why is the auroral ring not right over the North Pole?
• Do you always see the color of aurora?
• What colors does the "Northern Lights" have?
• Can I see structures in Auroras?
• How do I photograph the aurora?
• What exposure time should I take to avoid trail formation at the stars?
• Why don't I get a lot of detail in my auroras?
• Why trek to Tromsø in northern Norway to capture Northern Lights?
• Is there a checklist in terms of photographic equipment to photograph auroras?
  

How does aurora occur ?

The Sun has an eleven-year cycle where it becomes more or less active. Currently, so around 2025, we are in a so-called solar maximum, meaning that there are more solar eruptions than average. Solar activity is constantly being studied and tracked. See the graphs for example on aurora.be. The light(i.e., photons) emitted by the Sun reaches Earth after only 8 minutes, but the charged particles (e.g., protons, electrons, etc.) that it sends into space easily take a day or two. We call this stream of charged particles the Solar Wind. When these charged particles reach Earth, they are confronted by the Earth's magnetic field. After all, the Earth's core is composed of molten iron, and as everyone knows, iron is magnetic. So the solar wind will interact with this Earth magnetic field. So these particles can be captured or deflected (reflected) by this magnetic field.

In 1958, it was discovered that two belts exist around the Earth. They were named after their discoverer James Van Allen namely the Van Allen belts. The lowest belt, at a distance of 2000-5000 km, consists mainly of protons from the solar wind. The second belt is located at an altitude between 13,000 and 19,000 km. This belt consists mainly of electrons from cosmic rays.

So what is the connection between the Van Allen belts and the aurora ? In summary, it boils down to this:

1. Van Allen belts = repositories of charged particles

The Van Allen belts are zones around the Earth in which large amounts of charged particles (electrons and protons) are trapped by the Earth's magnetic field. These particles come from the solar wind and occasionally from bursts such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections (dafortified as CMEs).

2. Magnetic field guides particles to the poles

Earth's magnetic field is strongest near the magnetic poles. When the belts are disturbed-for example, during solar activity-captured particles can move along the magnetic field lines toward the atmosphere above the poles.

3. Particles collide in the atmosphere → aurora

Charged particles enter the upper layers of the atmosphere at high speed and collide with particles from the atmosphere (atoms and molecules). They enter an excited state and then emit light as they fall back to their ground state. This light appears as auroras.

Briefly:
1) Van Allen belts store and conduct particles supplied by the sun.
2) Those particles travel along the magnetic field to the poles.
3) Their collisions with atmospheric gases cause auroras.

So when solar particles are captured, they will react with the oxygen and nitrogen molecules high in the atmosphere. This light always arises in the upper layers of the atmosphere, say between 100 and 400 kilometers in altitude. It is this green, red, blue, ... light that we call the "Aurora." We generally speak of "Aurora Polaris." So this light always arises far above the normal clouds. Cirrus clouds can be up to about 13 km above the Earth's surface. Only the so-called luminous night clouds (NLCs) can be up to 80 to 85 km high. So auroras under the clouds you will not normally have. On the other hand, if there are auroras, astronauts will always be able to see them because the aurora is always in front of the clouds. The aurora will even dance above the clouds. See the various videos on YouTube for example that were made of the auroae from the ISS.

If you take all the auroras that appear at one of the poles together, you will see that a large oval of light appears. In the middle of the oval there is a large hole where there is no aurora. So you have, as it were, a ring of aurora. If you are in the Far North, you can stand right under this ring of aurora. In our region, it is very rare that you can observe the aurora as far as the zenith (and beyond).

At the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center you can see where the auroral ring(auroral oval) is currently located. The colors also indicate the chance of actually seeing an aurora: dark green = 0% chance, red means there is more than 90% chance. If you are in such an orange-red zone, you obviously still need to be able to enjoy clearings if you want to see effective auroras.

Compare the above simulation for today with the May 10/11, 2024 forecast. You can see these below. There was then a Kp value of 8 (we explain the concept of Kp index below in this article). You can also see in this article what photos of the Northern Lights could be taken from Belgium at that time. It was downright spectacular then.

Did you know... you also shouldn 't go too far north to see the Northern Lights? If you go too far north, you are in the middle of the aurora oval, in a kind of no man's land. People usually think that the further north you go, the better. Not so!

Why isn't the auroral ring right over the North Pole?

If you look at the above images of the auroral light ring for well-defined dates, on closer inspection you will notice that the center of this oval is not right over the North Pole. Why is that? Very simple: there is a difference between geographic north and magnetic north. The Earth's interior, in its deepest parts (the core), consists of liquid, hot iron. This is never homogeneously distributed. The magnetic field generated by this core changes position somewhat relative to our more or less solid continents.

The map below shows how much magnetic north has shifted relative to the Earth's solid surface over time, starting from the 1600s to the present. The map comes from the British Geological Survey (c) UKRI, 2024. Note that today, geomagnetic north (red dots) has never coincided so much with geographic north (indicated by a star on the map). However, there is still a difference of about 400 kilometers between the two.

We also note in passing that the Earth's magnetic field is not homogeneous everywhere. Here and there it can be locally less or just stronger. But well, that is food for the specialists.

The result of all this is that we see the auroral ring slightly shifted, tilted than what you would expect geographically: Norway, Iceland, Canada, Alaska lie favorably.

What types of auroras do we know ?

So our Earth behaves like a magnet. Each magnet has two sides that are oppositely polarized. The solar wind can be caught at either the North Pole or the South Pole. In the Northern case we speak of the "Northern Lights," also called "Aurora Borealis." In the Southern Hemisphere, we speak of the "Southern Lights." In turn, we call this "Aurora Australis."

So, auroras occur either in the area around the North Pole or the South Pole. Below we will continue to always talk about the "Northern Lights," but know that you can apply all this to the "Southern Lights" as well.

How strong is the Northern Lights ?

People have created a certain index to indicate the strength of the solar wind / aurora. We are talking about the Kp index. This index is based on the measurements of 13 geomagnetic observatories spread over the entire globe. Its value ranges from 0 to 9. The higher the value, the stronger the activity. For example, a normal activity is Kp = 2. A Kp of 5 is already quite strong. Higher is exceptional. You can find on the NOAA website the predictions of these Kp values follow. It makes no sense, especially in our latitude of 50°, to walk outside when the Kp index is 1 or 2. In the Far North, on the other hand, you will see something (but not much) at such values.

From a value of Kp = 5 we speak of a geomagnetic storm. These are then successively designated G1 (Kp = 5), G2 (Kp = 6), and so on up to G5 (Kp = 9). More explanation of geomagnetic storms can be found on the NOAA website.

Example: on May 11, 2024, when the photos below were taken by Dominique Dierick, the Kp index was as high as 9. Historical values of the Kp index can be found at Spaceweather.com. Here are the Kp values for May 11, 2024.

So before you decide to go to a distant location to view the Northern Lights, it's best to check some website to see what the Kp value predictions are. For our mid-November 2025 trip, we were guided by this chart. They showed values between 6 and 9. That's already worth once. Of course, we depended on the local weather conditions and they were not so good for Tromsø, unfortunately. But if you know that the weather can change very quickly (even for the better, that is) you can always take a chance. And that is exactly what we did. Anyway, you don't leave with a low Kp value.

The predictions of the Kp values for the next 3 days can always be found on the NOAA website. Realize that these are also "only" predictions. We still cannot predict exactly when solar eruptions will occur. If there has been one, we do know how long the particles take to get to Earth. So we can predict when something might be about to happen in our Earth's magnetic field. Actually, this is due to the difference between the speed of light (300,000 km/s) and the speed of charged particles emitted by these bursts (e.g., 300 to 700 km/s - a factor of up to 1,000 times slower, in other words). Sunlight reaches us in about 8 minutes, the particles easily take several days (at least 2). So we just know they are coming. Moreover, these particles (their shock waves) are first of all already detected by satellites orbiting our Earth. A little time after that, the time has come and we on Earth can see the Aurora 😉.

The solar storm that caused this high Kp value on Nov. 12/13 occurred earlier that week (on Nov. 11, 2025). Read more about it here (on spaceweatherlive.com, including a video).

The aurora can be seen as a beautiful, large illuminated band around the North Pole. Check out this NOAA composite photo from Nov. 12, 2025. This is how spectacular the Northern Lights were on that day. Impressive, isn't it? Who wouldn't want to see that live 😉

Where should I look to see the Northern Lights ?

If you are in the Far North, for example the region of Tromsø in northern Norway, you will be able to see the Northern Lights right above you. In fact, Tromsø is located roughly at the 70° latitude (69 and something to be exact).

In our areas, let's say around 50° latitude, you will almost never be able to see the Northern Lights in the zenith (right above your head that is). For that, there would have to be enormous solar activity. But never say "never" because in May 2024 there was. 😉 In general, in our areas we will have to make do with fainter auroras low/lowerin the Northern sky.

Do you always see the color of aurora ?

No, you don't always see color in the Aurora. When the Kp index is low (i.e., the geomagnetic activity is low), your eyes will first and foremost see a gray, shiny cloud/clouds. At that time, it is mainly the rods in your eyes that notice a certain light intensity.

Only when the aurora is stronger will the cones in your eye begin to do their work and thus discern colors.

Cameras that only expose for seconds will pick up color very quickly (and much faster than your eyes). In the High North, this will usually be the green first. In our regions, where we can usually only see the upper regions of the aurora, it will normally be red first. Guides in the North therefore invariably carry a camera (now usually a smartphone) with which they take a quick picture of the sky. With this, they can immediately distinguish between ordinary clouds and Northern Lights clouds.

In any case, don't forget that your eyes will also first have to have adapted to the dark of night. Only when they are adjusted, and with sufficient geomagnetic activity of course, will you see colors. If you just step out of a moving car, driving around with headlights on, and then go into the field, there is a good chance that you will not be able to distinguish fainter auroras right away. A camera, however, will do the job almost immediately.

What colors does the "Northern Lights" have ?

In northern areas, you will first notice the green light. However, auroras can also have other colors: red or blue. The diagram below clearly indicates which color arises in which part of the atmosphere.

Atomic oxygen (O)

In the ionosphere, O₂ molecules are split into two separate oxygen atoms by UV light and collisions. Those separate atoms (O) are then excited by charged particles → and upon relaxation they give:

• Green light (557.7 nm)
• Red light (630 nm or 636 nm)

There are two types of nitrogen:

Ionized nitrogen (N₂⁺)

→ Emits purple-violet light (90-120 km)
→ Often the brightest bluish light in auroras.

Neutral nitrogen (N₂)

→ Emits deep blue light below ~100 km
→ Less bright than N₂⁺, but present.

Know that we, here at the 50th parallel, can only see the upper layers of air above our poles. Therefore, this means that we will first and foremost notice the red light . This is the aurora that occurs in the highest regions of Earth's atmosphere.

Let's also note that other colors can be visible: after all, don't forget that all these light sources radiate together through the atmosphere. Composite colors can also be created: red and blue together can create purple/violet colors, for example. So it is not always as delineated as you might believe if you look at the color scheme above.

Can I see structures in auroras?

Yes indeed. As already explained, auroras are created by electrons coming from the Solar wind and captured by the Earth's magnetic field. However, this flow (flux) of electrons is not constant, either spatially (spatially) or temporally (temporally). In some places in the sky, more or less electrons will enter the Earth's atmosphere. It will also be the case that at a particular place in the sky, more or fewer electrons will collide with air atoms and molecules.

Take a look at the picture above. It schematically shows the Earth 's magnetosphere. It looks stretched out to the right. This is because the solar wind has pushed it to the right. You can see that at the northern latitudes (typically 65 to 75° North) the Earth's magnetic field is almost perpendicular (actually slightly inclined downward) to the Earth's surface. At the equator, on the other hand, you do not see any magnetic lines arriving: there they run alongside the Earth's surface, as it were.

You see, on the one hand, closed magnetic lines (connecting the Northern Hemisphere with the Southern Hemisphere), and on the other hand, open magnetic lines: these start from the Earth and go out into space, so to speak, they are open on the other side toward the Solar Wind. It is precisely in the zone where these two types of field lines separate that the aurora occurs.

In this auroral oval (the outer ring), electrons are accelerated(spiraled by the so-called Lorentz force) and auroras are created. This acceleration occurs only when sufficiently strong electric potentials are created along the magnetic field direction. And these potentials exist only at the edges of the oval.
Inside the oval (just above the North Pole, that is) the electrons have too little energy, are not accelerated and the inflow is flatter and weaker. The magnetosphere is quieter there. Here you can sometimes have weak UV aurorae, but none in visible light.
Outside the oval ring (at lower latitudes), the field lines are closed and no high-energy, charged particles can reach the Earth's atmosphere, so no aurorae will occur there.

In this way, therefore, near the poles (but not directly above them!) quasi-perpendicular pillars are formed. These pillars can move very quickly: they thus fluctuate both in place and with time. It is not really the pillars "as such" that move, but rather the regions where the electrons flow into the atmosphere. These auroral pillars can move both slowly (100 to 500 m/s) and very fast (10 km/s at strong geomagnetic activity).

Below 120 km altitude, the pillars are often narrower: they are only a few hundred meters wide. Above 150 km they become wider: 1 to 5 km. Red aurora pillars are also possible (above 200 km) and these can be tens of kilometers wide.

A single pillar can be up to 200 km high. Only those parts where the electrons effectively collide with atomic oxygen and nitrogen molecules will also light up in some color.

Sometimes it seems as if these pillars are gossamer. This is often the result of perspective: you are looking at miles of luminous columns.

You can also see curtains of light. A curtain is actually a kind of long-stretched column of light. As mentioned above, around the Earth's poles there runs an annular zone where most electrons enter. This is the so-called auroral arc / auroral oval / auroral ring. That arc can be up to hundreds to thousands of kilometers long . So on the one hand you have a narrow, sharp edge where all those electrons enter and on the other hand you have a vertical component (the pillars). Put together, you then obtain light curtains.

How do I photograph the aurora?

Capturing auroras is actually simple: just point your camera at the sky, focus on a bright star and expose for a few seconds. "And you're done!"

However, if you want to capture the Northern Lights with structures (pillars, curtains, etc.), you will have to keep your exposure times as short as possible: e.g. maximum one second if you work with longer focal lengths. Aurora is a very dynamic natural phenomenon. It changes its structure within seconds. The curtains of light that make up the aurora dance in the sky. If you choose a shutter speed of, say, 10 to 15 seconds, you will have photographed the aurora, but it will be a spot of light rather than auroras with a fine structure.

So if you want to capture the aurora with sufficient detail, choose a lens as bright as possible and short exposure times. If you want even more drama in the image, choose a wide-angle lens. Say up to 35 mm, 24 or shorter focal lengths are even better. After all, you will then get more of the total sky in one field of view, so more details in the same photo area. Fish-eye lenses can give very spectacular photographic results.

Tip 1: If you have one of the better cameras, dare to go to ISO settings above ISO-1600. With high-end cameras, you can certainly go up to ISO-3200 without any problems to capture the Northern Lights without too much loss of dynamic range and noise.

Tip 2: When taking pictures of the night sky, then anyway, if you want very fine, razor-sharp starbursts instead of star trails, you will have to limit the exposure time. If you are working with telephoto lenses, then you will have to keep this very short. With ultra-wide-angle lenses, you have a little more leeway in terms of exposure times to avoid star trails.

Tip 3: In the High North, it may have snowed a lot. If you just set up your tripod on snow and want to take time series of shots, it is possible that your tripod will sag over time in the snow. It is not always easy to find stable ground in such conditions. In any case, keep it in mind. Try to find rocks, a bench, a table... . For the better photography work, you will have to use a stable, vibration-free tripod anyway.

Tip 4: The Far North also means lower temperatures. All batteries work less strongly and less long in extreme cold. Keep in mind temperatures of -10 to -25°C (or worse). Work with 2 battery sets: one in the camera, one that you keep on your body so that it stays warm. A power bank may also be necessary. Wind can make the wind chill even lower. You may have to wear thermal clothing . Make sure you do not sweat excessively and that you are still sufficiently mobile: you must still be able to manipulate everything easily: tripod, camera buttons, smartphone, and so on. With big gloves on, you can forget about it. A tip is to put on two pairs of gloves: one fine and above that a thick one. If you need to make fine adjustments, you can take off the outer gloves. I can see that you may wonder: is all that really necessary? Remember that in the mountains and the High North you can have four seasons in a few hours. And if you are there for a while in a snowstorm at -15°C and a strong wind, you will think of my advice and realize that they were not exaggerated 😉.

What exposure time should I take to avoid trail formation at the stars?

There are two common rules:

1. The 500 Rule (simplest)
This rule says:

Maximum shutter speed (in seconds) ≈ 500 / focal length (full-frame equivalent)

Example:
Lens = 24 mm on full-frame → 500 / 24 ≈ 20 s
Lens = 50 mm → 500 / 50 = 10 s
If you are using an APS-C or MFT, then you must first multiply the focal length by the crop factor.

This usually roughly prevents stars from becoming stripes. However, higher resolution astrophotographers use other values than that 500, precisely because one works with very small pixels these days:

500-line → for older, lower resolution cameras
300-line → for medium resolution
200-line → for very high resolution (40-60+ MP)

Example: for my Canon EOS R5 40 Mpixel sensor, I obtain these values using the 200 rule:
- 10 mm wide angle: 20 seconds
- 24 mm wide angle: 8 seconds
- 50 mm standard lens: 4 seconds
- 100 mm telephoto lens: 2 seconds

2. The NPF rule (more accurate).

The 500 rule is actually quite coarse. This NPF rule takes into account:
1) focal length
2) aperture
3) pixel size of your sensor

Formula (simplified):

T ≈ 15 × N + 30 × p / f
where:
T = maximum shutter speed (s)
N = aperture value
p = pixel pitch (µm)
f = focal length (mm)

There are apps that calculate this automatically(PhotoPills, PlanIt!).

Why don't I get a lot of detail in my auroral photos?

You always have to be careful of clouds when photographing auroras. Even if there are no low hanging clouds, you can still encounter nebulous structures above (e.g. high cirrus clouds). It makes that despite a perfect focus (you can see this in the sharpness of the stars in the photo below) you still have a "hazy" impression of the Northern Lights phenomenon.

In this photo, you can see that she has a tinge of red and green throughout the field of view, but still does not bring out the necessary details to structures in the Northern Lights. Cirrus may be one of the causes. The exposure time of 8 seconds may also be another cause. However, pictures with 4 seconds exposure time did not show more detail. Of course, it could have been very dynamic auroras and much shorter exposure times were needed. But: I have photos that were exposed even for only 1.6 seconds but not really better, in other words where the details of the Northern Lights do not come out better. So in this case, we'll stick to a more diffuse result due to higher cloud cover. In other words, the sky was not transparent enough.

Anyway, with weak to moderate aurora activity, you should work with brighter(er) lenses. However, in this example I was already working with a relatively brighter lens (F/2 instead of f/2.8 or f/4) and still exposure times of say 2 to 10 seconds were needed. You could of course increase your ISO to get faster shutter speeds, but even with a high-end camera like the Canon EOS R5, I prefer not to go higher than ISO-3200 to reduce noise and still have some dynamic range.

An f/1.4 prime lens such as Canon released in early 2025 may provide relief: Canon RF 20mm F1.4L VCM . This lens was specially designed to be able to do videography also in very low light conditions. If you go from f/2 to f/1.4 (one stop more light), you can halve the exposure time to keep the same photo brightness. Compared to my Canon RF 10-20 mm F/4L IS STM ultra-wide angle, this is even a factor of 8 faster. So that's almost one order of magnitude faster, a very significant gain in exposure times. Very important when capturing very dynamic celestial phenomena. Lens costs about 2,000 EUR.

In summary: You will have a lot of structure in the photos when
1) there is sufficient geomagnetic activity (Kp index is high)
2) the sky is sufficiently transparent (no clouds at all, including fine cirrus clouds)
3) you canshoot sufficiently fast (lenses with low f-values, photography at slightly higher ISO values).

Why trek to Tromsø in northern Norway to capture Northern Lights?

Reportedly, it was a BBC journalist who once published an article about the Northern Lights in Tromsø. This would have done this city no favors. You have very good airplane connections to this northern city. However, there is no train station. So the accessibility is fine for an average international tourist who flies.

Did you know... Tromsø is certainly not, from a physics standpoint, favored in terms of Northern Lights than other places in the High North? Basically, you can see the Northern Lights just as well anywhere there. What is decisive ? Local weather conditions and accessibility. So you want to have an easily accessible, cloudless location. Tromsø is easily accessible but does not always have the best cloud cover. Inland Finland is drier and so there is more chance (on average, anyway) of fewer clouds there. 'Tis just a know. One figure to make this clear: Tromsø gets significantly more annual precipitation (~1,280 mm) than Kilpisjärvi (~789 mm). Or in other words, Tromsø receives more than half as much precipitation as the Finnish town of Kilpisjärvi! And to put it another way, the driest month in Tromsø is comparable or even wetter than Kilpisjärvi in its wettest months. And the guides in Tromsø know this too, which is why they regularly travel to Finland to see the Northern Lights there. We too went there, and with success 😉 .

Option 1: trek to the Fjellheisen cable station

If you want to avoid the light pollution of the city on this island, head for the Fjellheisen cable station. This is about 400 meters higher than the city. It helps to be less affected by the light pollution but is far from ideal: you will be standing there with dozens, if not hundreds of people with all the consequences: you can hardly concentrate on your photographic work, be bothered by tourists who think they need to flash the Northern Lights, pushy people who want to take selfies (right in front of you), and so on. For a quick stamp-sized photo, you'll be fine there. For the better work, you will have to go elsewhere. If you stand behind the cable station (not on the side where Tromsø center is), in northeastern direction, you may be able to get a better picture (if no one is in view). There is a beautiful winter landscape there anyway (with power poles in the picture)...

Click on any of the photos below to launch the photo carousel....

Option 2: work with a local tour operator

Tromsø is scheduled to handle a few hundred thousand Northern Lights hunters each winter season. In 2024, there were about 120 firms dealing with them. On average, some 300 to 350 tourists are guided per night and for several months. One easily charges up to 200 EUR per person. Do the math yourself to see what kind of turnover is involved. You will then be squeezed into a bus and unloaded at a parking lot where the Northern Lights will be visible (partially or not) at that moment. To add to the experience, the better tour operators will give you hot chocolate, some meager cookies and possibly a thermal suit (which is useful when you're in the-middle-of-nowhere and there's also a strong wind). And, ah yes, you get a souvenir photo of you in the foreground and the Northern Lights in the background. With any luck, they'll even have focused on the sky 😉 Some even give you a real Northern Lights certificate!

We tried this formula ourselves, just so we could speak knowledgeably. If we can give a tip: do not choose a large or minibus. There are formulas where you go into the "wilderness" with a 4×4 van (cfr. Mercedes VITO) or even a Jeep. The number of participants is then limited to a maximum of 4 to 8 people. In our concrete case, there were 5 of us. With such a small van you are much more mobile and you will be less disturbed by your fellow travelers. It is to say: you can make arrangements among yourselves faster. Also with the guide you can discuss much better what you want. You can then - in principle - take better pictures. Below some pictures of our Northern Lights hunt with 4×4 van. We ended up driving as far as Finland: the region of Kilpisjärvi (see webcam). We left at 17h 30 in the evening and returned by 3h in the morning. All in all, we were satisfied with it as it was to pass as a first introduction for us. A kind of "Northern Lights for Beginners", in other words.

Did you know that ... all these tour operators are, of course, each other's competitors but at night they pull the same sail? Of course, they all want their clients to have a successful hunt. That's why they have a WhatsUp group where they keep in touch with each other. If there is a good view of the Northern Lights somewhere, their fellow competitors quickly learn about it.

Click on any of the photos below to launch the photo carousel....

Option 3: self-organize

For the better photographic work, you will have to proceed differently. After all, you need space and time to find a good location (cloud-free, a nice landscape, safely away from through traffic, ...), set everything up, set everything up, take test shots, make time series, and so on. If you don't want to drive yourself in these northern ice conditions, you could possibly make arrangements with a cab driver to take you somewhere. We did the same thing once: in the morning we went to see all the locations where low(er) cloud cover was predicted for the evening. Prospecting/location scouting, in other words. Thus, we already knew that the locations offered photographic and organizational opportunities. The plan was then to drive there again in the evening and take the actual photos. Unfortunately, the weather conditions degraded and so we were not able to go on a Northern Lights hunt in the evening.

Are you considering self-driving in Arctic territory? Then read carefully the tips below! Seen at Moxy Hotel in Tromsø. We heard stories of tourists who had an accident and therefore received an extra fine from the police. Perhaps you should be able to control your vehicle at all times? As if you would always be in control 😉 We recommend working with a local driver. Can be a resident of the city, a cab driver, one of the employees of a tour operator, and so on. All risks are then at their expense. Anyway, they know the local driving conditions much better.

Is there a checklist in terms of photographic equipment to photograph auroras?

Yes there is. There is. Here's a checklist you can use in terms of photo equipment.

CHECK LIST PHOTO EQUIPMENT

• Camera body
  • Set to a fixed White Balance (important for time series)
  • Choose an ISO value that is 1600 maximum or with the better cameras 3200
  • Choose the largest possible f-value
  • Choose RAW storage format of your photos
• Photo lens
  • Choose the shortest possible focal length
    • Wide-angle lens: prefer 20 to 35mm instead of standard 50mm lens
  • Choose the lightest lens possible
    • f/2, f/1.8, f/1.4 instead of f/2.8, f/4 or f/5.6
• Battery packs
  • Make sure ALL your battery packs are properly charged
  • Provide a spare battery pack
  • Place your spare battery pack somewhere in a pocket of your jacket (on your body to keep it warm)
  • Optional: power bank.
• Memory card
  • Make sure you bring memory cards with sufficient storage capacity
  • Delete all unnecessary files from it such that you effectively have the capacity you expect
  • If your camera supports it: activate backup to 2nd memory card in camera body
• Tripod
  • Make sure you have a light tripod (you may have to drag it some distance into the wilderness)
    • these days you have lightweight carbon tripods
  • Provide a vibration-free tripod with little play
• Remote control
  • Provide a mechanical or electronic remote control
  • If you don't have one: set your camera so that the shutter flips up one or two seconds before the actual shot is taken (such that the body has vibrated out before the shot is started)
    

Geographical information

Address: Dalbergstien, Tromsø, , Norway
Geographical coordinates:
- Google Maps: Latitude = 69.6378358 - Longitude = 18.9862326
- Open Street Maps: Latitude = 69.636021 - Longitude = 18.995588
- Altitude h = m
Indication of Cable Station Fjellheisen on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen - Google Maps - OpenStreetMap.
Route to Cable Station Fjellheisen: Route via Google Maps

Meteo

Starry sky above Cable Station Fjellheisen

Internet information from and about Cable Station Fjellheisen

Internet information on:
- the phenomenon Aurora: Wikipedia (EN - FR - AND) - YouTube
- the phenomenon Solar Cycle: Wikipedia (EN - FR - AND)
- the phenomenon Solar Wind (EN - FR - AND)
- the Van Allen belts (EN - FR -AND)
- the city Tromsø: Wikipedia (EN - FR - AND) - YouTube

Websites for Northern Lights Hunters:
- Belgium: Aurora.com
- Netherlands: Northern Lights Hunters.com
- Finland: aurorawebcams.com (we were in Kilpisjärvi in northern Finland)
- Guided trip: astroreizen.com (from our colleagues at People's Observatory Urania in Hove, Antwerp)
- Space weather predictions: Spaceweather.com - NOAA Space Weather Predictyion Center

Apps for Northern Lights Hunters:
- SpaceWeatherLive ( Google Play )

Facebook for Northern Lights Hunters:
- Northern Lights - Aurora Borealis (76 K followers)
- Northern Lightsman Ruben Weytjens (24 K followers, weatherman in Belgian Limburg)

Youtube videos about:
- the Northern lights seen from the ISS
- the Southern lights seen from the ISS
- how photographing auroras

Websites to the cloud degree follow up:
- Ventusky.com
* cloud cover Tromso, Norway - most popular northern lights destination
* cloud cover Rovaniemi, Finland - residence of Santa Claus
* cloud cover Kiruna, Sweden - Sweden's northernmost city


Tourism Department "Visit Tromso":
Website - Facebook - Instagram

Our photos about Cable Station Fjellheisen

Onze foto’s, video’s, … zijn allen (c) 2004-2026, Top.Vlaanderen, België. Ze mogen niet “zomaar” worden overgenomen of gebruikt. Ze zijn evenwel licentieerbaar. Wil U uw eigen toeristische attractie, B&B, vakantiewoning… laten fotograferen door ons, dat kan ook. Neem hiervoor contact met ons op via ons Contactformulier .

Photos from the visit to the Fjellheisen cable station in November 15 & 16, 2025

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