Chase Auroras

Guide

Aurora in Norway

Northern Norway sits right under the auroral oval, with a long dark season, a mild coast and some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe. Here’s how to plan around it.

Why Norway

The aurora forms in a ring around Earth’s magnetic poles, and much of Arctic Norway lies beneath it. Travelling north, from Nordland through Troms to Finnmark, puts you in the zone where the aurora is a regular event rather than a rare one.

It also helps that Norway is easy to travel in. There are airports across the north, good roads and a well-developed tourism industry, from small-group chase tours to remote cabins. And its coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream, so the same latitude is far milder than inland Canada or Siberia.

Norway’s far north also has a distinctive light calendar. Above the Arctic Circle the sun stays below the horizon in midwinter (the polar night) and stays above it in midsummer (the midnight sun). In Tromsø, the sun doesn’t rise from late November to mid-January and doesn’t set from late May to late July.

When to go

Aurora potential at about 70° N, by month. Gold months have the midnight sun, so no aurora is visible.

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Geomagnetic activity tends to peak around the March and September equinoxes, so those months punch above their weight.

The regions

Troms: Tromsø

The classic base. Direct flights, restaurants, tours, and quick access to dark country, but coastal weather.

Finnmark: Alta

Drier, colder, quieter. Many aurora chasers’ pick for the best chance at clear sky.

Nordland: Lofoten

Dramatic peaks and fishing huts; the most photogenic, and the most changeable.

Next door: Abisko

Across the border in Sweden, famed for a rain-shadow dry spot. Reachable from Narvik by train.

Weather and cloud

Weather is the real variable. On the coast, systems roll in off the Norwegian Sea, and a cloudy week is entirely possible. The trick is to be flexible: stay several nights, watch the cloud forecast each afternoon, and be ready to move inland, where it’s often clearer.

Check our live verdicts before dinner and again at dusk. A short break in cloud is often enough. Read how the cloud half of the forecast works on the MET Norway page, and how the geomagnetic half works on the Kp page.

What to wear

Standing still at night in the Arctic is much colder than walking in daylight. Wear a wool base layer, an insulating mid-layer, and a windproof outer layer, plus insulated boots, a hat, and warm mittens (over thin gloves you can take off to use a camera). Hand warmers help. Many tour operators lend thermal suits; that’s worth taking up.

Photographing it

  • Use a tripod; exposures run to several seconds.
  • Start around ISO 1600–3200, f/2.8 or wider, 5–10 seconds, and adjust.
  • Focus manually on a bright star or distant light, then don’t touch it.
  • Keep a spare battery inside your jacket. Cold drains them fast.
  • A modern phone’s night mode on a tripod works well for bright displays.

Plan for several nights and chase the clear sky, not the calendar.

A single night is a gamble; four or five make a good trip. Tour operators often offer a free repeat if you don’t see the aurora, so check the terms.