Aurora in Greenland

My straightforward method to experience and photograph the northern lights / aurora borealis with ease in Greenland or elsewhere in the Arctic

All of the photos on this page have been taken by me between 2018 and 2023. See samples here. The only reason I got these images was because I understood how to use the data to plan. I have written out all of the steps below.

see the amazing phenomenon known as the Northern Lights / Aurora borealis with minimal effort in greenland

I am fortunate to have experienced seeing the aurora borealis more times than I can count starting in Greenland and then in Alaska and back to Greenland. You’ll be awestruck by the magnificence of our planet’s magnetic field’s interaction with solar winds when they hit our atmosphere as and generate what we know to be the aurora.

What’s important to note is that in Greenland, you do not have to venture far to see the light show. It is rather convenient and Diskoline Explorer now offers a sailing trip to see the lights at sea! The photo to the left or above was taken steps from luxurious Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat looking straight up into the sky. Getting to Greenland is an adventure but seeing the aurora is relatively painless because of the low light pollution and other favorable attributes. More below.

There are tons of resources out there that can describe aurora and try to sell you something along the way. Here is an unbiased guide for how to see the lights anywhere in the Arctic when the conditions are right but you will need to understand some basics in order to plan.

• Step 1: Plan Ahead and Understand the Forecast Data

  • Check the forecast 27 days ahead of your trip.

    • This forecast called the 27-DAY OUTLOOK OF 10.7 CM RADIO FLUX AND GEOMAGNETIC INDICES

    • It can be found from US NOAA here.

      • This is the official Space Weather Prediction Center’s model

      • You only want to look at the column on the right called “Largest KP Index”

        • The KP index ranges from 0-9, with 9 being the strongest aurora. Anything above a 3 is acceptable and you may have a chance at seeing the aurora on that night

  • Ideally you’re visiting the arctic on a couple days that are KP 3 or higher because you’re dependent on the weather patterns in order to see the aurora

  • You’ll also want to check the moon forecast as well since a bright moon can interfere with aurora visibility.

  • Check the long term weather forecast for the place you intend to visit and look for cloudy conditions

    • Windy.com is the most reliable source for all cities and towns in Greenland but unfortunately 48 hours in advance is the max for any accuracy since weather changes unpredictably and frequently.

  • A simpler model is from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I prefer this one because it gives you the time frame on the day and eliminates a lot of the distractions.

• Step 2: Check how much daylight is in the location where you plan to visit

  • The rule is simple, you can’t see aurora if the skies aren’t dark enough. Late September to the end of March is safe in Ilulissat and further south in Greenland. If you go further north, this window shrinks.

  • Time and Date’s website is the best resource for this - the sun and moon graph.

  • See example for Ilulissat. The goal is to have some astronomical twilight and night time

• Step 3: Have the right warm clothing

  • See the gear recommendations on this website

  • but at a minimum you will need the following

    • Warm hat that covers ears or a separate headband underneath the cap

    • Warm mittens or photography gloves that allow you to pop off the fingers to manipulate the camera

    • A neck gaiter made of wool or qiviut (ideal)

    • A head lamp that has a red light setting

    • Warm ski pants or primaloft pants

    • Warm parka with down or primaloft

    • Base layers of fleece or wool

    • Wool socks that are very thick. No cotton

    • Warm boots rated for -40C at a minimum with good traction of add on some yaktrax

    • Safety item like a personal locator beacon or cell phone and a power bank in your pocket

• Step 4: Camera settings

  • You will want a lens that has a big aperture of f/2.8 or larger (f/1.8 or f/1.4). f/4 is acceptable but less than ideal

  • You will want the focal length of the lens to be as wide as possible. 16mm is good or even better is 14mm. I usually shoot with an old Tokina 11-16 mm f/2.8 for Nikon adapted to my Fujifilm body

  • Decide if you want to shoot in raw or jpeg. If you have the software (Lightroom, Photoshop, On1, Luminar) to process raw photos, then raw is best but if not then I suggest shooting in a mode on your camera that is raw+jpeg

  • Bring a sturdy tripod. I have recommendations on the gear page. You can also set the camera on a flat surface like the picnic tables at Hotel Arctic or a Bench if you don’t care as much about the quality of the images

  • Set your camera to Manual Mode

  • Set the exposure compensation to +3.0

  • Set the ISO to 1600 or 2000; adjust again if the aurora are not vivid

  • Set the shutter speed to 10 seconds or 12 seconds

  • You’ll want to go into your camera settings and change the white balance to 3500 kelvin

  • Learn how to use interval timing on your camera or a remote shutter

  • Learn how to extract images from memory card to your phone or computer and how to edit them

• Step 5: Cherish the experience with a print or shareable photo

  • If you travel to Greenland with IBC Adventures photography workshop is included for aurora and

  • I will also produce a high quality print from the trip taken by you and a northern lights portrait taken by me

Selected aurora photos in Greenland and Alaska from personal collection

Here is a sampling of photos I have taken over the years of the aurora. See captions for KP index that day, time of year, and brightness.