On the night of May 15th 2026 at 11:39pm, I was lucky enough to capture the International Space Station appearing to fly right through the aurora. The other streaks are other various satellites. Taken in Central NY using a Nikon Z5ii. 15 second exposure, f4.5, and 3200 ISO
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!
I captured three 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
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:
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:
Biggest queries around auroras: