The Northern Lights season in Iceland is almost upon us! I’ve packed this episode with loads of information to help you have the highest possible chance of seeing this spectacular natural phenomenon. While it is possible to take a tour to see them, I am a big fan of seeing them on my own. I’ll be sharing some awesome places that you can drive to in the country to view them.

I decided to also share some background information about the northern lights, including why they appear, the best time of the year to see them, factors that impact you seeing the lights, how to know if the aurora borealis will appear, the best time of day to see them, and my recommendation when it comes to clothing, as well as tips on how to capture the Northern Lights with your phone or camera.

Before I jump in, I want to thank Go Car Rental Iceland for sponsoring this episode. They are a great local car rental company based in Reykjavík. As I mentioned earlier, I like to go on adventures at my own pace and having a car allows me and others to do that.

Go Car Rental Iceland already has competitive rates but what‘s awesome is that renting a car during winter is way less money than in summer. On top of that, you can save 10% off your entire booking with them when you use my code Iceland10.

When charged particles from the sun collide with atoms in the earth’s atmosphere, the electrons inside of atoms move to a higher energy state. When the electrons come down to a lower energy state, they release photons, which is light. That light is what we see as the Aurora borealis or Northern Lights.

The strength of the Northern lights, or how strong the light show up, will depend on the solar activity and the speed at which these particles are coming toward the earth. This is one major factor as to why you may or may not see the Northern Lights during your trip.

The color of the Northern Lights depends on the ionization of gases in the earth’s atmosphere when the charged particle (electrons) collides with them. The altitude at which the particles collide is a major factor as well.

Because different gases are present at different altitudes and in varying concentrations, you might see only one color or many if the Northern Lights appear. Green is the most common color. You might also see blue, purple-ish, yellow, pink and even red.

Red is normally associated with intense solar activity, which is rare, so you’ll be quite fortunate if you experience that.

Undoubtly, the best time of the year to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is during the winter. Northern Lights season officially kicks off in October and runs through March. During this time, we have long, dark nights and that provides ample opportunity to potentially see the lights. Please know that there is no guarantee you will see them, even during winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeWycMNVm3M

The reason you can’t see the Northern Lights in Iceland during summer (June, July and most of August) is because there is too much brightness. We experience 24-hour bright nights during the height of summer, and this makes it impossible to see Northern Lights in the sky.

It isn’t that solar activity is necessarily any less or more during this time. One thing to note is that I have seen the Northern Lights in late August and September. However, because the days are still relatively long at that time, I normally just suggest visiting from October to March.

The factors that can impact you seeing the Northern Lights during the winter in Iceland are the weather, clouds, light pollution, and solar activity. Ideally, there are none or few clouds in the sky during the evening, relatively good weather, no or little light pollution, and decent solar activity.

For those wondering what light pollution is, it is basically any light source that would make seeing the northern lights harder to view. For instance, city lights are a big source of light pollution, so getting away from the city to spots to view the lights is advised.

If there is a full moon, that can also make the lights appear fainter. With that said, I have seen the Northern Lights a decent number of times while strolling the streets of downtown Reykjavik.

Knowing when the Northern Lights will show up or how strong the lights will be is crucial. Thankfully, getting access to that information is simple. The Icelandic Meteorological Office has a webpage dedicated to showing the forecast.

They have a number system from 0 to 9. Zero is no activity visible and 9 is insanely intense. I’ve yet to encounter a 9 but I hope that I do one day. They also have a map that shows the cloud coverage in different parts of the country. Here is the link to see what the northern lights forecast is for the night you are looking to hunt for them.

I also recommend joining the Northern Lights Alert FB Group because people are often posting when they see them and what part of the country they are in.

Even though the nights are long in Iceland, it seems the typical time to see them is late in the evening, such as between 10:00 – 3:00 AM. This is not exact and they can definitely show up earlier or later but that is what I’ve found to be the case over the years.

It’s a good idea to periodically check out the window if the forecast is moderate to very active. Even better is to drive out to a nice, dark spot and chill out until you see them.

To be fair, I think most places in the countryside are great when it comes to seeing the Northern Lights. However, if you want to photograph some or just be in a picturesque place away from light pollution, here are some places where you can enjoy the show.

Here are some helpful tips if you plan to capture the Northern lights:

In the past, I have used the Night Cap app to capture a timelapse video and I will continue to do that. However, the newer versions of the iPhone and other phones make capturing the lights so easy.

Clothing wise, it is best to have your winter clothing. Parkas and warm outer layers with water resistance will come in handy. Layers, such as a warm sweater like an Icelandic lopapeysa is great, and a base layer such a long johns will go a long way in helping to keep you from freezing.

Of course, hats, gloves, thick socks, maybe even hand warmers, are great. My Ultimate Packing Checklist for Iceland, which is linked in the show notes, has a winter packing checklist, so feel free to download that.

You might also want to have something warm to drink, some snacks, and a lot of patience. You might see them right away or it they can take a while to appear if they do at all. Sometimes they put on a show for a long time but don’t be surprised if they show up, disappear, and then show up again.

Before I jump into the random fact of the episode, I again want to thank Go Car Rental Iceland for sponsoring. Make sure to use my code Iceland10 when booking so you can save 10%  on your booking.

The first time I saw the northern lights was so magical. They were faint but I was still awe-struck! I always get excited when I see them and will often peek out the window on a night when the forecast is decent to see if they are out. What’s fascinating is that there is folklore in Iceland and other parts of the world about the Northern Lights and I plan to share more about that in a future episode.

Norðurljós – Northern Lights

I hope this episode has been helpful and happy Northern Lights hunting!

Facebook

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta og sjáumst fljótlega.