Climate change has indeed had many affects on iceland but has no affect on the auroras, and you cant see them during daylight. Mar 26, 2016 northern lights timelapse and realtime video of season 2015 2016 auroras at yllas area in lapland, finland. The aurora borealis was one of my had to photograph dreams. Icelandic villages, beaches and basaltic rocks, and greek gods, as well as the beauty of the aurora borealis. Iceland northern lights holidays discover the world.
It was the warmest year on record in all stations in northwest part of iceland and one of the warmest in other parts of the country. But for the best chances, you should move away from sources of light pollution that means streetlighting so travelling outside the city to more remote regions is a good idea. Iceland has a concentrated tourist season, peaking from midjune through august. The northern lights aurora borealis guide to iceland. Aurora in iceland posted in general observing and astronomy. Some sources will recommend november to february, as they are the darkest months with the longest possible window to see the lights, however these sources often fail to take into account that these.
Iceland is not as chilly as it sounds, but it can become very cold in both summer and winter when the polar winds blow. Aurora borealis season in northern polar latitudes alaska, northern canada, greenland, iceland, norway, sweden, finland and siberia runs from augustthruapril. Aurora in iceland general observing and astronomy cloudy. In iceland, northern lights season is anytime from the end of august through mid april. However, the sheer fact that it is possible to see northern lights in this eightmonth period doesnt mean that theyre always visible. Our group numbered nine friends, most of whom had traveled together several times before. May through june, is the perfect time to witness the natural phenomenon known as the midnight sun, a beautiful natural event for which all scandinavian countries are popularly known for. Combined with the cloud forecast, it will give you clues on where the northern lights are likely to be seen. The list of bucket list experiences available on this northerly island is staggering and we have tried to incorporate as many as we possibly can into our dedicated aurora hunting holidays in iceland. The ultimate guide to the northern lights in iceland. Sep 27, 2016 the weather in iceland in 2016 a short overview.
Iceland aurora is a nonnarrative timelapse film which captures the mesmerising aurora borealis and the unique scenery of iceland. Iceland was a bucketlist photo destination for all. Sep 30, 2016 the northern lights are particularly vivid this week and the reykjavik city council ordered street lamps to be turned off in most neighborhoods to improve visibility for watching the dancing lights. Best time to visit iceland best season for iceland ideal. Ive done a couple searches but really havent been able to answer the question as to when the best time to see. Many of the hotels we use are in prime auroraviewing locations and many offer an aurora wakeup service, so you wont miss a thing should the lights make an appearance. I personally love each and every beautiful season that iceland offers for different reasons. But for the best chances, you should move away from sources of light pollution that means streetlighting so travelling outside the city to.
Suddenly though, a new burst of particles streamed down from space, lighting up the earths atmosphere once again. My visual diary of solo travelling in iceland for a week. Browse through our selection of iceland photo tours for plenty of great opportunities to photograph the northern lights in iceland. Although it might be pitch dark and high aurora activity, the clouds could. The best season to see the northern lights in iceland is from. I had timed and planned my trip to iceland to coincide with the start of aurora season.
The best time to see the northern lights in iceland. The northern lights center english aurora reykjavik. Northern lights forecast for iceland aurora borealis. The map is updated daily and gives you an indication of northern lights viewing.
The other special feature of icelands climate is the seasonal change in the length of day and night, creating unique weather phenomena. Lonely planet recently named west iceland one of its top picks for 2016. The best season to see the northern lights in iceland is from september to midapril these are the months where there are full dark nights. Many icelanders think the summer tourists dont know what theyre missing. Luxe adventure travelers complete guide to northern. The city of reykjavik, iceland s capital, turned dark overnight to allow residents and visitors the unforgettable opportunity to view tthe aurora borealis. Here, at 65 n on the southern edge of the arctic circle, you can see auroras almost every night. Best time to visit iceland pros and cons of each season. During the summer months of may, june and july it is just too bright to see them in the far northland. These natural displays of green, white and purple light occur most frequently in the polar regions in a 2500 km radius off the geomagnetic pole. Learn what makes our iceland tours special from the amazing customers who travel with us. How to see the northern lights in iceland cnn travel. Northern lights are visible in iceland for about eights months a year, from the.
Best time to visit iceland best season for iceland. Northern lights are visible in iceland for about eights months a year, from the early september to late april. Tony and iceland aurora tours exceeded my expectations. Reykjavik briefly swaps its city lights for northern ones. His knowledge of iceland gave us the advantage to see and photograph some of the most interesting landscapes locations. The northern lights are particularly vivid this week and the reykjavik city council ordered street lamps to be turned off in most neighborhoods to improve visibility for watching the dancing lights. Sep 30, 2016 it happened on the night of august 23rd24th and it was the very first big northern lights display of the aurora season 2016 17. The city of reykjavik, icelands capital, turned dark overnight to allow residents and visitors the unforgettable opportunity to view tthe aurora borealis. The northern lights season runs from 1st september, through winter, until 15th april, typically. See the northern lights in iceland the aurora zone. The zone with the most intense sightings of aurora borealis extends over lapland in northern scandinavia, iceland, greenland and finland. Caught this beautiful northern light in sandgerdi, iceland, on 31st august 2016. Iceland aurora is a nonnarrative timelapsed film featuring the aurora borealis and the unique scenery of iceland. These images are from a photo adventure feb 28 mar 6 inspired, planned and led by a special photography friend, john the snake barrett.
The unofficial capital of the north, and iceland s second most populous town, akureyri is at the center of it all. What to know for seeing the northern lights in iceland. Iceland is not the destination for those of you who want a snowcovered, winter wonderland with dog sledding and reindeer, it leaves those attractions to finland, sweden, and norway. Nov 25, 2014 iceland aurora is a nonnarrative timelapse film which captures the mesmerising aurora borealis and the unique scenery of iceland. Shot in more than fifty locations, the filmmakers spent one hundred and thirty nights over three years chasing green, purple and pink northern lights, as well as sunsets, sunrises, nocturnal clouds, starry skies, city scenes and barren moonlit landscapes. I have plenty of air miles so was thinking about taking a trip to icelandreykjavik for a week or 2 to walk the glaciers, do the hot springs and see some aurora. Hotel ranga this 4 star ranch style hotel has exceptional surroundings, with some of its rooms overlooking the east ranga river. Iceland aurora photo tours iceland with a photo guide. The movie contains a record of the aurora borealis phenomenon, observed in iceland by polish society of amateur astronomers at april 2016, as. Luxe adventure travelers complete guide to northern lights. The forecast of auroral activity at midnight, scale 0 to 9, is shown in the upperright box. If we focus only on the statistics, there are four months where the.
Northern lights photo tours iceland aurora photo tours. The town has a thriving art scene, snow sports, chic shops and good restaurants. You can determine if theres enough solar activity and low cloud cover for optimal conditions by checking the aurora forecast and cloud cover forecast. He is a naval architect and ocean yachtmaster and has been skippering aurora since 2006 and arktika since 2016. However, it is impossible to know more than a few days in advance what the.
Iceland is located in the north atlantic ocean just south of the arctic circle, which passes through the small island of grimsey off icelands northern coast, but not through mainland iceland. To see the northern lights with your naked eye, you need. Shot during nights over the span of 3 years in over 50 locations in iceland, it is composed of 7 chapters, each with its own distinct visual theme. It happened on the night of august 23rd24th and it was the very first big northern lights display of the aurora season 201617. Please note these changes frequently and is most reliable at about 6 pm of the current day. We had the opportunity to photograph a spectacular aurora show.
It will be different person to person, and it depends on what kind of things youre looking to do, as well as what kind of weather you prefer. Welcome to the 5 million star hotel where you can sleep in the nature. The spectacle of aurora borealis requires dark and partly clear skies. The sky has to be dark enough for the aurora to be visible, and though the aurora actually occurs all year round, the long hours of daylight and midnight sun period from april through august make it impossible to see the northern lights during these months. Icelands capital plunges into darkness for stunning northern lights display. Its a little confusing as the green colour is very similar to the colour of the actual northern lights but in fact the map shows green as cloud coverage and white as. The ultimate guide to northern lights in reykjavik aurora borealis.
A timer or a remote for the camera would also help we just wrote a small mini guide on how to shoot aurora borealis, there is maybe one or two details there that is good to know. I created and refined this itinerary nearly a year in advance of our travel, due to things learned from you. There must be enough solar activity usually anything greater than kp 2 is a good rule of thumb to witness the aurora in iceland these last two conditions can be researched prior to looking for the lights, by referencing the aurora forecast and cloud cover forecast. Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis, or northern lights. We provide a large number of tours from expert guided tour agencies all across the country. Reykjavik and the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country are home to over twothirds of the population. The weather in iceland in 2016 icelandic meteorological office. Didnt know about the colors where height dependable. Happy little wanderer not all those who wander are lost. It is almost unfair that one country has volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs and a great aurora record. These tours are dedicated to the phenomena of the aurora borealis. Watch iceland aurora online vimeo on demand on vimeo. Oct 24, 2016 aurora in iceland posted in general observing and astronomy. Aurora prediction and northern lights forecast aurora hunter.
Best times and places to see the northern lights in iceland. Green areas are cloudy and white areas clear skies. I have plenty of air miles so was thinking about taking a trip to iceland reykjavik for a week or 2 to walk the glaciers, do the hot springs and see some aurora. If you are looking for the best time to visit iceland, you cannot ignore the time period from late may to early september. Were happy and proud to have made our passion a profession hunting, photographing and filming the northern lights and sharing our knowledge with our guests and northern lights scientists and enthusiast all over the world. Oct 04, 2016 caught this beautiful northern light in sandgerdi, iceland, on 31st august 2016. The official aurora season in iceland is from october till march but like with so many other things that have to do with icelandic nature its not. Move the slider below the cloud cover map, or click directly on a day or time. How to see the northern lights in iceland iceland with a.
Aurora forecast for iceland aurora forecasts icelandic. Its countryside location is one of the best in iceland for keen aurora hunters. Iceland the northern lights in summer 2016 youtube. The northern lights season is soon upon us the first tour of the season is 26 august source. You can spot the aurora borealis from nearly any location in iceland, even the capital city of reykjavik. The best time to see the northern lights in iceland northern. First, a heartfelt thanks to all the local forum experts diane, unnar, icelandicguide, gestur, and more. Some childhood dreams stay with us for our whole lives. Back then, we were so happy that one of our best friends was able to enjoy it in southern iceland. The northern lights or aurora borealis are caused by solar storms and cosmic rays from the sun which interact with the oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere. Best time to visit iceland pros and cons of each season people are always asking me when the best time to visit iceland is, but that is such a hard question to answer. Use the slider at the bottom of the graphic to adjust the date and time of the forecast.
Iceland is a magical place, especially during the northern lights season. His work and play has taken him all over the world from skiing in canada and climbing in the alps, to kayaking in greenland and sailing in antarctica. Jul 23, 2014 the best time to see the northern lights in iceland. Aurora photography equipment this article discusses the use of digital slrs dsrls or modern mirrorless bridge cameras, but a film camera is equally good and in some respects better. Our holidays in iceland follow the aurora season and so they kick off in late septemberearly october and are available until the end of march. Iceland allows you to combine an incredible number of natural wonders in a short space of time. Aug 17, 2016 the northern lights season is soon upon us the first tour of the season is 26 august source. Nov 21, 2019 iceland is one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Note that since the island is small, climatic changes are quick to set in. Darkness winter only clear skies no clouds aurora activity northern lights todays cloud coverage and satellite images of the aurora.
Iceland offers plenty to do in spring, fall, even winter, and prices are dramatically lower for airfares, car rentals, and accommodations. Let your childhood dream of sleeping in the nature become reality. Longterm northern lights forecasts news synnatschke. If theres sunlight or moonlight, the aurora is dim. Aurora photography equipment this article discusses the use of digital slrs dsrls or modern mirrorless bridge cameras, but a film camera is.
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