#Northern lights iceland how to#
#Northern lights iceland driver#
#Northern lights iceland manual#
#Northern lights iceland iso#

#Northern lights iceland iso#

We recommend 1.4, 2.0, or 2.8.Ī high ISO performance: Your camera must go up to 3000-5000 without producing much graininess. The lower the diaphragm number, the better.

#Northern lights iceland manual#

Manual settings: Your camera should be switched to manual mode and the diaphragm adjusted to the largest setting available. Getting the perfect picture of the lights with a handheld camera is impossible. The following tips will help you to make the most of your pictures.Ī tripod: The shots will need an exposure of at least a few seconds, making a tripod a must. If you decide to go on a self-driven Aurora trip, you will need certain skills and equipment to take a photo in the complete darkness required.

#Northern lights iceland how to#

EXTRA TIPS FOR AURORA HUNTERS HOW TO DRESS FOR A TOUR

For the best comfort, bring a thermos with some hot liquids and maybe a blanket and some pocket warmers. You might want to pack headlights so that you can inspect the area in case you decide to walk away from your car a bit. To find a safe and spacious parking area, you must check out the place in the daylight before heading out in the dark. This is highly dangerous and people have died in accidents caused by Aurora hunters. It is illegal to stop on the side of the road – even if you see others doing it. When you begin to see the lights, you might become excited and distracted, so make sure that you are in a safe place where you can enjoy the moment to the fullest. You will need to find a safe parking place where you can exit your car and walk around in the dark.

It is, however, strongly recommended that you do some research before heading out into the dark.

#Northern lights iceland driver#

If you are a skilled driver with strong experience driving in winter conditions, you can also head out to find the lights on your own. You can also maximize your chances of good weather by staying longer in Iceland! This is what Northern Lights tour operators do: when they see an opening in the clouds not too far away, they will drive there. If the sky is cloudy over Reykjavík, it is worthwhile to check out the cloud forecast and see if there are clear parts further from the capital. If the curtain is closed, you will not be able to see what is happening behind it. The collisions take place many kilometers above the clouds, so a layer of clouds can act like a curtain. The Northern Lights are only visible when the sky is clear or when there are at least clear parts of it. The weather in Iceland is another thing that no one can control. The longer you stay, the more chances you will have. Sometimes we have active Northern Lights appearing many days in a row but sometimes they do not appear for days. Solar activity is something we cannot really predict and have no control over.

The Earth is constantly immersed in the solar wind but it has to reach a certain strength to cause the emission of lights in the sky. Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn all experience auroras as well. Some researchers claim that the reaction also comes with a certain noise but this can only be detected by sensitive microphones.Īuroras are not a phenomenon that is unique to Earth. This is what we perceive as a colorful light show in the night sky. Due to the irregular shape of the magnetic field, however, some particles manage to get through the shield in the areas where it is weaker, such as around the magnetic poles.Īfter entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the particles interact with the gas atoms, causing the emission of energy and light.

When these particles reach our planet, they collide with the Earth’s magnetic field which deflects the majority of them. During these solar eruptions or solar flares, hot plasma is blown into space which then travels towards the Earth. Charged electrons and protons escape the Sun’s gravity from time to time. On the surface of the Sun, the superheated gas molecules are highly explosive. The lights are caused by collisions between electrically charged particles coming from the Sun as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. According to the scientific explanation, Aurora is the dazzling end result of a series of events that begin at the Sun.