As previously said, one of the main purpose of this trip was to see Northern Lights.
However, these Northern Lights are not guaranteed. To see one you need the combination of three elements:
- Solar wind
- No clouds
- Dark night
However, there are apps that can help you. First weather forecast, that can give you the direction of the wind and the cloud cover. And then, there is a meteorological institute in Alaska than can forecast the solar wind up to a few days in advance. So the Aurora Forecast App combines all these elements to extrapolate the boreal activity and to give you a %-probability that you’ll spot one.
But still, this is not an exact science. And basically, what you have to do is to dress up with the warmest clothes you have, go out there and wait&see.
What I did usually was to take a short nap at the hotel/guesthouse, grab a bite to eat and prepare a Thermos Bottle of tea (and a few beers of course). Then I would leave the permises around 10pm and only come back around 2am.
These pictures you’ll see below embody my catch of the night. Spoiler alert: I didn’t catch any. But still, it was nice to stick around Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon at night because the atmosphere was totally different, almost surreal. You could spot people with headlamps crawling around with their tripods, trying to take the perfect snaps. Those pips were either amateur or professional photographers. But we could exchange tips and tricks, giving hints on our preferred settings. So it was really good fun.
On top of that, I could try out different settings on my camera and get ready for the big night (should it come sooner or later).
Have a look!
Cheers
Full-moon over the shacks
