“Battle of the Gods”
Kettle Moraine State Forest, WI
Northern lights are caused by solar particles being pulled in by Earth’s magnetic field, hitting molecules in the atmosphere triggering light displays. The stronger the solar emission, the more dazzling the show. Science now has a clear understanding of why Aurora’s occur. Myths of the past were perhaps even more colorful than the most powerful displays. Many cultures thought gods caused the lights. Others believed the spirits of fallen warriors or mighty beasts were responsible. If that’s the case, the night I captured this image there must have been quite a battle going on!
Last year was a wonderful year for those wanting to see and photograph the Northern Lights across the world, myself included. We are near or have just passed the peak of the eleven-year solar cycle, but 2025 should still be an excellent year for those who didn’t get the opportunity to witness this spectacular natural phenomenon or those who can’t get enough of them and want to experience them again.
There is a lot of information out there on predicting and photographing the Aurora’s. Perhaps too much? In this article, I will share my thoughts and advice on how to witness, and in a separate post, how to photograph them from my research and experience from the past year of chasing and photographing Northern Lights. As I try and do with my photography, I hope to share both different information as well as my own unique perspective on the subject.
“Northern Lights”
Arctic Circle, Alaska
Let’s start with a warning. Chasing the Aurora’s, like nature photography, can be frustrating. The more flexibility and commitment you have the better your chance of success. But expect more failures than successes, especially at lower latitudes.
Where and when to go? Northern Lights can be seen at latitudes around 45 degrees North or above during G1 minor solar storms. The farther north you travel, the greater your chance of seeing them. But as you travel north during the summer months, the length of nighttime hours (true nighttime is considered 2 hours after sunset and before sunrise) decreases or is non-existent as you approach or cross above the arctic circle. During the summer months, Auroras are only visible at the mid-latitudes that have at least six hours between sunset and sunrise and then only for a few hours.
Statistically, the yearly solar activity cycle is greatest around the spring and autumn equinox. There is a lot of scientific research that has explored this that I will not go into. But, that peak in activity makes March and September a great time to venture out to experience the aurora. It’s also a great time to travel to more northern locations when nights time hours are still long enough, and temperatures are somewhat less brutal. In North America — Fairbanks, Alaska and Yellowknife, Canada — are two of the most popular Aurora viewing destinations. Plan to stay at least a week at your destination to give yourself ample opportunity for success.
Northern Lights occur when high energy particles in solar winds are pulled in by the Earth’s magnetic field which redirects them to the north and south poles. There they interact with gases in the earth’s atmosphere causing a dazzling display of dancing ribbons and pillars of colorful lights. The different colors are caused by the kind and altitude of the gas the solar particles interact with.
Green is the most common and caused when the particles hit oxygen molecules at mid-altitudes of 60 to 190 miles.
“Aurora Ribbons” ~ North of Fairbanks, AK
Additionally, the human eye is able to see green easier than other colors of the spectrum.
Red auroras require a stronger solar storm as they form when particles react with oxygen at higher altitudes of 180 to 250 miles where the amount of oxygen is lower. Red auroras may be hard to see with the naked eye but are visible in photographs. Red colors are sometimes more visible at lower latitudes because when auroras are viewed from farther away (near horizon), the upper elevations are more visible. Even less common are purple and blue displays when solar particles hit nitrogen at lower altitudes below 60 miles. During very intense storms you can see yellow, pink and white auroras which form by a mixing of the other colors. This is a rare treat.
“Purple, Pink, White Northern Lights”
Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest, WI
Many additional factors affect the appearance of the display including speed and density of the solar wind, polarity of the magnetic field, observers’ latitude, light pollution, cloud cover as well as others. Let’s start with the obvious but often overlooked factors to begin with, cloud cover and light pollution. I have always felt clouds and fog usually make for more striking images. But in the case of Auroras, a few clouds can add to the drama while too many make viewing impossible. I use several Apps to predict weather and cloud cover including NOAA radar-satellite, Weather Underground, and Windy which gives excellent information on current and projected cloud cover. Two other atmospheric conditions to consider and check for are high humidity and wildfire smoke, which can diffuse and limit the visibility of auroras.
The darker your sky conditions are, the better your viewing opportunities are. Getting away from urban areas is a good starting point. But also consider lights from traffic. I have run into problems with this both in the lower 48 states as well as above the arctic circle in Alaska. Prioritize sky conditions facing north the lower your latitude is as Northern Lights there will usually be in the northern sky except during the most intense storms. I use the Light Pollution – Dark Sky Map App when scouting for possible viewing locations. You also need to consider the moon phase. A bright full moon will make Auroras harder to see. The best time is between a waning to waxing crescent moon when the amount of moonlight is minimal.
“Electromagnetic Storm”
Northern Lights ~ Wisconsin North Woods
There are numerous sources for predicting Aurora activity from the basic to extremely detailed and scientific. Start with the basics and then move towards the more advanced as your experience and interest expands. The Space Weather Live website or App offers both and is a good place to begin.
If you’re just beginning, look at the Kp-index. It is a three-hour global geomagnetic activity average measurement created by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. The scale ranges from 0-9. There is also the NOAA geometric storm scale starting with G1 minor storm which correlates to a Kp-index of 5. It peaks at G5 Extreme storm at a Kp of 9. In 2024, we had a few Kp-8 or G4 storms and one Kp-9 or G5 storm that all put on quite a show. At lower latitudes (around 45° N), you need a K-p of 5 or G1 storm to have a realistic chance of seeing Northern Lights. As you go farther north, Auroras can be seen at lower Kp levels or below solar storm levels. Very strong storms can produce visible Auroras at lower latitudes, but are rare. More information on Kp and G index’s is available on the Space Weather website at:
Another simple and easy tool to utilize is the NOAA Aurora Oval & Ovation Map found on numerous websites and Apps. This is a short-term (30-90 minute) forecast of the location and intensity of the Auroras. Green represents lower intensity while red indicates a strong storm. You don’t have to be directly under the maps oval as Northern Lights can be seen from over 500 miles away.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast
More advanced data to look at to allow you to more precisely predict Aurora activity are solar wind speed, density, and geomagnetic activity. With density and speed, the higher the number the better as they reflect the intensity of the solar storm.
Perhaps the most critical measure in my experience is the polarity of the magnetic field (or Bz). A negative or southern value draws the solar particle which causes Auroras towards the Earth’s atmosphere while a northward polarity deflects them away. With this measurement, the lower the number the better. The Bz can be very erratic at times. It can flip from north to south in just a few minutes. A quick change in polarity can be like switching on a light switch with the Auroras appearing or disappearing rather quickly. The greater the length of time the Bz remains strongly south usually creates larger displays as it pulls a greater number of particles into the atmosphere.
Another measurement is the Bt, which is a measurement of the total strength of the interplanetary magnetic field. As with the solar speed and density, the higher this value the greater the potential for more intense storms.
“Aurora, Clouds & Stars above Snow Covered Pines”
North of Fairbanks, AK
There are numerous websites and Apps that provide a wide range of information and prediction tools about Auroras. Many include Kp forecasts. Be warned, just like weather forecasts, when you get beyond a few days the accuracy of the predictions decreases. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska website has an easy to understand three day forecast along with Aurora Oval map. I also use the Aurora Forecast and My Aurora Forecast Apps. There are many others, many free, for you to try.
One last piece of advice. Enjoy the experience, even when they end in failure. Last September, I spent a week at Mount Rainier, much of it photographing in the middle of the night. While the Northern Lights were not my primary objective, an Aurora display above this magnificent mountain would have been wonderful. That did not occur but what I did experience was some of the calmest and clearest nights I have ever experienced at this location. I recall the silence, broken only occasionally by the quiet voices coming from Paradise Lodge several hundred feet below or at another location the bugling of an elk somewhere off in the distance. One of my favorite images was captured as the rising crescent moon rose illuminating the mountain below the star-filled night sky.
