How to Photograph the Northern Lights

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The northern lights , also called the aurora borealis, are some of the most breathtaking natural displays in the world. As charged particles from the sun shower down on Earth's atmosphere, the gases are excited and glow green, red, pink and sometimes blue.

As lucky aurorae observers know, snapping a great shot of the lights is extremely difficult to do well. Smartphones can aid us in spotting dimmer displays and are fun for sharing with friends and family on social media, but creating a picture you could hang on your wall? That's where some tips, techniques and key bits of camera gear come in.

Last year, the northern lights appeared further south than expected, with aurora shows even seen in Cuba and Hawaii . This was a rare occurrence due to a powerful geomagnetic storm the likes of which Earth hasn't experienced for more than two decades.

That, currently combined with a giant Earth-facing coronal hole means astrophotographers and stargazers have the perfect opportunity to capture the magic of the aurora borealis.

Dennis Mammana , an astronomy writer and expert aurora photographer, and Jim Henderson, who has photographed more than 300 aurora displays in northeast Scotland, gave Live Science some tips to snap a great shot.

Recommended camera gear

• You'll need: A mirrorless or DSLR camera capable of long exposures

• A wide-angle, fast lens, preferably a wide-zoom between 12-24mm focal length and as wide as f/2.8 or greater

• A tripod capable of supporting the payload of camera and lens

Mirrorless / DSLR cameras

It's crucial to have a camera that you can operate in manual mode, that way you have control over all three parts of the exposure triangle: Aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity.

The Nikon Z8 is our top pick for astrophotography (we gave it 4.5/5 stars) because it offers a detailed 45.7 Megapixel resolution, is compatible with a range of high-quality Nikon Z-mount lenses and even has a night vision mode for astrophotography.

However, beginners might want to take a look at the Nikon Zf , Canon EOS R8 or the OM System OM-1 Mark II which we've each named as fantastic for astrophotography after our full reviews but are a little more budget-friendly.

The common thread with all the cameras we highlight above are that they have fully manual modes to control the exposure triangle, (ideal for adjusting exposure lengths to capture the northern lights dancing through the sky), and are top-notch at handling high ISO noise (meaning clearer, nicer-looking nighttime photos).

Camera lenses

Alongside a quality camera, we'd recommend a wide-angle lens. There are three particular features to look for in a lens: The mount type, focal length and maximum aperture rating.

You'll need to find a lens with the mount type appropriate for your camera, for Nikon mirrorless cameras that's the Z-mount system, for Canon it's an RF mount and for Sony it might be the E-mount. Check this first in your manual or online before purchasing.

When shooting the northern lights, they have a habit of spreading all over the sky (if you're lucky) and therefore require a wide field of view to capture. This means you should have a focal length of between 12-24mm if you're hoping to capture the lights and foreground in your photo. You can go wider, but be aware that as you approach 10mm and 8mm lenses tend to distort straight lines into curvy lines so you may need an image editing software to remove this later, if undesired.

A fast lens is one that has a wide aperture (the opening in the glass, created by the metal blades separating inside the lens). An aperture of f/2.8 or wider (f/1.8, f/1.4 etc) is ideal as it allows maximum light input to the image sensor. Be aware that wide apertures of f/2.8 and wider will cause some noticeable diffraction of the light and therefore can create a soft-looking image.

Tripods

The style and size of the right tripod for you will depend on your preferences. However, you must check the tripod's (and tripod head's) maximum payload. This is the weight of the camera and lens, combined (plus any additional accessories attached to the camera). Make sure your gear is under the weight of the payload for the tripod and tripod head.

Smaller, lightweight tripods are likely to have fewer leg sections (two to three), while larger and heavier tripods may have more (up to five). There's no photographic advantage to having fewer or more leg sections so long as the build of the tripod is solid but a tripod with more leg sections might mean it folds up smaller, making it easier to fit in a camera bag.

Tripods are typically made out of two types of material: Aluminum and carbon fiber. Both are lightweight but strong and more expensive tripods usually offer a carbon fiber version because it is lighter than its aluminum counterpart. If budget stretches, we'd recommend a carbon fiber tripod because it's both lighter and warmer. Warmer because aluminum, or most metals for that matter, thermally conduct better than carbon fiber and therefore will be much colder to the touch. Since the northern lights are generally in the colder regions nearer the pole, this is important if you're not wearing gloves.

Mammana said the most common question he gets about photographing the northern lights is, "What camera settings should I use?"

"The answer is always the same: It depends," Mammana told Live Science.

Frustrating though this may be, it's the nature of the aurora. Photographing the northern lights means trying to capture a complex, dynamic and relatively finicky natural wonder, so there is no silver bullet, he said.

"Some things you can anticipate, but Mother Nature doesn't always follow the rules," Mammana said.

The best camera for capturing the northern lights

We have reviewed many of the best cameras for astrophotography and think the Nikon Z8 is the best camera for capturing the night sky. This mirrorless camera suits those who are advanced or professional photographers, offering high resolution and manual controls. However, beginners may be better off using the easier-to-navigate and cheaper Nikon Zf .

Camera settings

Another important thing to remember is that photographing the aurora requires trial and error. Henderson said his benchmark is a 20-second exposure at an ISO of 1600. The length of an exposure corresponds to the shutter speed on the camera: the slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure. ISO refers to the sensitivity of the photo cell in the camera. Henderson also typically sets his lens aperture, which measures how much light is let in, at f/2.8 to f/5.6.

"Experience has shown me that the best images are gained by some degree of 'overexposure,' so I tend not to use the camera's Auto setting," Henderson said. Slightly overexposing the images can make them appear more saturated and colorful, he added. [ Northern Lights: 8 Dazzling Facts About Auroras ]

Henderson recommends the following camera settings as a starting point:

• ISO: 1600

• Aperture: f/2.8

• Exposure: between 15 and 20 seconds

The aurora mainly excites oxygen gas, which gives it a green color at low altitudes and a red color at higher altitudes. Nitrogen occasionally interacts with the aurora as well, which causes the purple hues in the celestial displays. "Other colors appear visible to the human eye, such as white, bluish hues and yellow," Henderson said. "These are lesser display levels and are a function also of our eyesight, weather and atmospheric conditions at the time."

Mammana works with a similar setup, with a high ISO (around 1600) and a wide-open aperture at f/2.8. Then, he'll try a long exposure of about 15 seconds. Next, he'll check how the image turned out and make adjustments from there. This sort of instant feedback is why he prefers digital cameras to film, he added.

"Film takes time to absorb the image and do something with it, whereas digital is a linear response," Mammana said. With digital cameras, you also don't have to wait for the photos to be developed.

"My experience is that the digital medium is far superior to old film-based photography," Henderson said.

If you do opt for film as your medium, you'll want to ensure you have a fast film (around 1600 ISO), but those are becoming harder to find, Mammanasaid. He has a film-specific tip: Get your negatives developed near where you shot the aurora so the photo professionals know what to expect. If you don't make it clear that you intend for the sky to appear multicolored, your photos might get color corrected, he said. [ Photo Future: 7 High-Tech Ways to Share Images ]

If you're looking for ideas for what to bring with you, Henderson recommends packing the following gear:

• A camera with manual capabilities (for example, a Nikon D700 DSLR

• A sturdy tripod

• A wide-angle lens (Henderson still uses his 35mm manual lens because autofocus lenses aren't the best option for aurora photography)

• A cable release to allow shutter release without touching the camera (this is helpful for long exposures)

• Spare batteries

• Warm clothes

• Photoshop software for post-production: using the Levels Set White Point tool on the brightest star and then darkening the overall image will give a natural nighttime look

Be prepared to take a lot of photos

Aurora science is relatively new (research on these celestial displays has only been conducted for the past 100 years or so), and scientists are still puzzled by exactly how the lights move.

The "forms of display can be patching, patches of light, usually of a faint colour hue, pulsating as if being switched on and off; streaming or flaring where bright patches of light climb up the ray like a fuse burning; flaming with pulsating bands of light shooting upwards from the horizon into the upper atmosphere and even lightning flashes can be seen in the aftermath or proceeding a display similar to electric storms but without any thunder clap sounds," Henderson told Live Science in an email.

Mammana speculated that the movement may have to do with the speed of the magnetic particles when they enter the atmosphere. But ultimately, their behavior is unpredictable. When a "breakup" — a major aurora activity that begins as a small arc that eventually fractures across the sky — occurs, Mammana will often aim his camera and hold the shutter down, capturing 100 to 200 shots in a sequence. He'll search back later and pick out images with the best composition, he said. [ Aurora Photos: Northern Lights Dazzle in Night-Sky Images ]

When the aurora is active, "the average person can go through 1,000 or more shots in a night," Mammana noted.

Henderson also recommended using a wide-angle lens to make for more interesting compositions.

"Given the scale of aurora displays, a wide-angle lens is needed to capture its scale," Henderson said. He suggested focusing on the stars when using a lens like this, because setting a wide aperture can often lead to fuzzy, out-of-focus photos.

Expect the unexpected

The biggest challenge when photographing an aurora is knowing when it's going to happen.

"In my early days, it was seat-of-the-pants — sit and wait on any clear, dark night and hope something happened," Henderson said. Now, websites such as Spaceweather.com make it possible to know a few days in advance the likelihood of a display, but nothing is guaranteed.

Mammana recalled one particular night in Fairbanks, Alaska, when no aurora activity was predicted but he decided to grab his camera and go out anyway. Even though there was absolutely no reason for the aurora to show, it exploded over his head, he said. He was taken by such surprise that he didn't even have his settings properly adjusted.

"It came out of nowhere," Mammana said. "It was like liquid, colored oil flowing down the sky."

Original article on Live Science .