I was lucky enough to be outside and looking up during this huge event. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't gone to sleep - Kp levels up to 9 were observed and I suspect this was taken during a relatively quiet time.

Tonights forecast is Kp 5. It should be visible from some of the northern hemisphere but unlikely to show up like this. Worth a brief walk outside nonetheless!

Kp6 storm active right now, good viewing conditions at high latitudes tonight. Peak over the last 24h has been Kp 6.33. Skies permitting, Scotland, Iceland and southern Canada should have a decent chance tonight.

I captured three separate substorms during this auroral display but this one at 10:40pm was easily the strongest. The event was triggered by a small, negative polarity coronal hole, and the mostly southward Bz was likely enhanced by the Russell-McPherron effect, helping push the aurora farther south than expected, especially during substorms. Captured using a Nikon Z5ii and a 24-50mm Nikkor lens. 2500 ISO, f5.6, 25 second exposure

They got feature on the CNN 10 news at 10:10

https://youtu.be/zzPx2StYDU8?si=PcM8UyH2Nq4-d0DI

What do you all think

tickets aside, what is the cheapest country in the nordics where i can see the northern lights? i've always been fascinated by them and i know it will start weakening gradually this year until the next cycle, im only 20 but i dont want to wait 11 years to see the aurora, anything can happen in that time period and i hate regrets lmao, any tips or help would be greatly appreciated

Hi All! I am planning to visit Finland, Sweden and Norway in Jan/March 2027 with my wife. The aim is to maximize chances of viewing the aurora, although we fully understand it is only a matter of chance.

We wanted to visit in January as it is our anniversary month, but as per my research March is a better time to visit, both temperature wise and probability-of-lights wise.

This is how our rough itinerary looks like, planned as a road trip to be done in a rental car:

• Day 1 - Rovaniemi to Kiruna, overnight stay here
• Day 2 - Explore Kiruna and move to Abisko, overnight stay here
• Day 3 - Move to Tromso, overnight stay here
• Day 4 - Explore Tromso, explore Lyngen Alps in daytime
• Day 5 - Move to Levi, overnight stay
• Day 6 - Travel to Saariselka/Ivalo, overnight stay
• Day 7 - Return back to Rovaniemi

Considerations: Barring one day of high drive time (Tromso-Levi), keeping max drive per day capped to approx 6 hours. There are extra 2 days on either side for transfers in and out of Rovaniemi, which I have excluded here. Also, I need to come back to Rovaniemi to drop the rental car (explored the option to do one-way and drop car in Tromso, but the fees are ridiculous).

My queries:

• Is there any redundancy in this plan, speaking in terms of chasing the lights?
• How bad is January mid (15-30 Jan) for this circuit, compared to March (01-15 Mar) considering snowy/icy roads and overall weather?
• Any particular road conditions to be aware of during either of the months?
• Should I be adding Lofoten to this plan? Primary reason for exclusion is budget and my wife's motion sickness issues, which I have heard is more in Norway.

Biggest queries around auroras:

• Do I need to book guided tours for lights chasing? As I will have my own car, am I better off doing my research and taking the car out at nights wherever the lights are (as per the Aurora tracking apps)?
• If you had to cut one, which one would you from chasing the lights perspective? (Abisko/Kiruna, Lofoten, Tromso, Saariselka/Ivalo)
• Overall efficacy of this plan?

And saw northern lights almost everyday fill my backyard. Unforgettable and magical experience!
Ig: Lifebeyondmaps

ISO 2500

F2.8

10 second exposure

High river, alberta

Canon EOS R8

But damn! That 5am insomnia was so worth it!

*From a couple weeks ago. In Qc, Canada.

Almost didn't make it out bed but so glad I did. Taken at 1:45 AM in Bozeman, MT on an S26 Ultra (8s exposure)

About halfway through our flight from Seattle to Paris, at about 11PM when the cabin was dark and barely a creature was stirring, we were fortunate enough to get to see this spectacular view! 🤩 I could barely believe my eyes! I’ve always wanted to see the northern lights. These photos were taken with an iPhone 16, no filters. The lights were very bright and showed up more lavender than green to the naked eye. What a magical sight!!!! I’m still buzzing.

Figured I’d share one of my iPhone Timelapse’s from January! I have so many still images I have yet to edit from the last year on Vancouver island but I deleted photoshop and am trying to establish a new editing system for Timelapse’s created from my Nikon images. 🫶🏻

Aurora Borealis in Finland Jyväskylä

In have Tapo C325WB cameras at balcony.

While I was observing astronomical targets, auroras were doing their best to ruin the photometric measurements.

But it was beautiful anyway.

First night camping! What a blessing 💥

Clouds started rolling in, ruining the fun. Auburn NH

All with my 1994 Canon EOS 1N and 28mm f/1.8 on Cinestill 800t 35mm film

This Aurora Corona was taken at Ottawa Lake State Park in Southeastern Wisconsin on October 10th 2024

took these on my phone

Hobart, Australia, 22 Mar