27 day aurora forecast iceland

Below are some of the most commonly-asked questions by visitors to Iceland regarding aurora-watching. The answers are simply intended to provide practical advice based on my own personal experiences of aurora-watching in Iceland.

The Northern Lights season runs from 1st September, through winter, until 15th April , typically. The map is updated daily and gives you an indication of Northern Lights viewing. The white areas are where you need to head for. On the map you can see areas of white, light green and dark green. The white colour in the forecast means no clouds, so clear sky. This is ideal as you need to have a clear sky to see the Northern Lights. The light green means partly cloudy and dark green means very cloudy so a low chance for sightings as the visibility is low.

27 day aurora forecast iceland

Northern lights forecast for Iceland. Check the live aurora forecast and weather conditions before your Northern Lights tour in Iceland. Learn more about the Northern Lights forecast and why you should keep in mind that even when the Kp-index indicates moderate to high activity, there is no guarantee that you will witness the Northern Lights. As a natural phenomenon, nature offers no assurances! It's also worth remembering that the lights have been spotted even when the Kp-index was at 0. Check now and book your tour. In the past, it was believed that gods and magical beings were responsible for creating the fabled Northern Lights, which would make it challenging to predict the chances of seeing them. In more modern times, science has revealed the optimal aurora conditions. Today, experts can predict where and when the lights will appear — to some degree. Arctic Adventures guides keep track of the weather, solar flares, and cloud cover to make the Northern Lights tours worthwhile and eventful for sightseers. There, protons and electrons interact with gas atoms and effuse energy and light. The playful colors of the Northern Lights depend on the type of gas particles involved. Solar winds are streams of charged particles that come from the Sun.

I am in Reykjavik, should I drive to Selfoss? Light pollution is the enemy of the Northern Lights!

The Icelandic Met Office measures solar activity. Combined with the Cloud Forecast, it will give you clues on where the Northern Lights are likely to be seen. Please note that the forecast changes frequently and is most reliable at about 6 pm of the current day. Focus on the lower and middle clouds, and look for white spots or lighter shades on the map. The 9-point scale on the right side of the page is a simple way to judge your chances of seeing something. This is the most usual forecast.

The map of Iceland shows forecast of cloud cover. Green areas are cloudy and white areas clear skies. Move the slider below the cloud cover map, or click directly on a day or time. The forecast of auroral activity at midnight, scale 0 to 9, is shown in the upper-right box. The scale changes in accordance with the date selected under the cloud cover map. Note Magma volume beneath Svartsengi continues to increase. Increased chances of eruption in the next days. Aurora forecast for Iceland. Aurora activity, sun and moon - Aurora forecast: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Information unavailable.

27 day aurora forecast iceland

The Icelandic Met Office measures solar activity. Combined with the Cloud Forecast, it will give you clues on where the Northern Lights are likely to be seen. Please note that the forecast changes frequently and is most reliable at about 6 pm of the current day. Focus on the lower and middle clouds, and look for white spots or lighter shades on the map. The 9-point scale on the right side of the page is a simple way to judge your chances of seeing something. This is the most usual forecast. Go out! The magnetic observatory Leirvogur measures the magnetic disturbances above Iceland. When the graphs start moving, solar winds are rattling the magnetic field of the Earth which is usually followed by outbursts of auroral activity. Click on the picture to see the real-time-record.

Busty baddies

The distance to the auroras is from 80 km 50 miles up to km miles , but sometimes auroras can be seen as high as miles kilometers. The magnetometer located at Leirvogur in Iceland. Where is the best place to see the aurora in Iceland? Your best bet is just to get to your nearest cloud-free area as quickly as you can and look for yourself. You are also likely to get the best photography tips on this type of tour remember to ask about that, if photography is your priority. What information do you use for aurora-hunting in Iceland? The solar wind and Bz can be monitored at websites such as SpaceWeatherLive. Icelandic Met Office Although there are plenty of tools with which to track aurora activity, one of the most reliable sources is the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Other related web sites Icelandic Mobile web. You can see how the moonlight completely lifts the foreground, while the aurora is still clearly visible. Predicted Kp values were not created as a real-time resource for aurora-hunters. For this reason, and rather counter-intuitively, the strongest geomagnetic storms do not necessarily produce better aurora activity in Iceland than a lower-strength geomagnetic storm. Another option is to search for the gap in the clouds. Sometimes the only way to be absolutely certain is to take a photograph, which should then reveal whether the patch is green or not.

The Northern Lights season runs from 1st September, through winter, until 15th April , typically. The map is updated daily and gives you an indication of Northern Lights viewing.

There are apps available that will help with this - just look for any app that facilitates long exposure photography. The map is updated daily and gives you an indication of Northern Lights viewing. The structure and colour of auroras varies enormously, both between nights and within a single substorm as the aurora progresses through its growth, expansion and recovery phases. How Often is the Map Updated? A strong aurora on 21 September , where green and pink colours were very vivid to the naked eye. If you visit over the summer between late April and early August then you have absolutely zero opportunity to see the aurora. For example, coronal holes that appear on the surface of the sun can allow hot gases to flow outwards as high solar winds, while the coronal mass ejections CME resulting from sunspot flares can emit strong bursts of solar particles. If you have a question that is not answered here then please consider emailing me. Light green color indicates a lower chance of auroral activity, while the spots in yellow, orange and red mean that chances of seeing the Northern Lights are very high. Northern lights and winter season go hand-in-hand. Your best bet is just to get to your nearest cloud-free area as quickly as you can and look for yourself. The Kp values are generated as summarised global 3-hr measurements of K a measure of how much geomagnetic disturbance there is at a particular location. People increasingly ask about the possibilities to photograph the aurora using their iphone or android phone or similar. In this graph it can be seen that baseline levels of activity were recorded up until on the 21st and again after around on the 22nd.