How to Spot and Photograph the Northern Lights – Tips From an Expert

How did you get into Northern Lights photography?

A large part of Fridrich’s research at �������� is about digital imaging. Alongside her interest in astronomy and photography, she recently began researching, chasing and photographing the Northern Lights.

“I must say that, until recently, I have always considered the Northern Lights to be a phenomenon that is only visible from polar regions. Last year, I realized that I had been missing out on a lot of fun.”

As a photographer, Fridrich focuses on landscapes, but she also takes nighttime images known as astro-landscapes. She loves to photograph the Southwestern U.S., specifically the Colorado Plateau. Since 2012, Fridrich has won multiple prizes for her photos.

Fridrich began to delve deeper into the science behind the Northern Lights, learning how to predict and locate them accurately. Through trial and error, she has successfully captured striking photographs of numerous auroral displays.

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon that occurs within the Earth’s atmosphere. Triggered by plasma ejected by the sun, referred to as the solar wind, they are composed of electrons and protons. These are guided by Earth’s magnetic field, and in polar regions, they ionize oxygen and nitrogen molecules, exuding a green and red light.

Earth’s magnetic pole is encircled by the auroral oval, and during strong geomagnetic storms, it dips down towards the equator. This allows the phenomenon to be visible in middle-latitude regions. According to Fridrich, �������� is located at approximately 42 degrees, and due to the magnetic pole tilting towards the eastern U.S., the auroral displays can be seen on average every two weeks.

“Our sun’s activity is periodic with a period of 11 years. Aurora is more common when we are close to the solar maximum, which occurred last year,” Fridrich said. “We still have a few years of elevated solar activity ahead of us,” Fridrich said.

Recently, Fridrich was even able to capture a phenomenon known as proton pancakes. Her photography was featured on spaceweather.com. Proton pancakes are made by illuminating protons from Earth’s current ring, opposed to the typical illuminations of electrons, which create the Northern Lights.

When can you see the northern lights?

During the years near the solar maximum, an aurora may be visible from �������� for several days in a row during high solar activity. The best time of year to be on the lookout for aurora is near the equinoxes, but bright auroral displays are possible any time of the year, depending on the sun’s activity. Winter is generally better for viewing than summer simply because of the longer nights

“Aurora is capricious and elusive in that it is rather hard to predict what it will look like at a given location and time,” Fridrich said. “It is a very dynamic and diverse phenomenon.”

Even during strong geomagnetic storms, the Northern Lights are not always visible from here throughout the entire night, but only in short bursts called “substorms.” Catching them requires patience and knowledge. They can last only a few minutes or keep going for hours, depending on the strength of the storm.

How will I know that a substorm is about to happen?

When a significant solar event occurs and NASA’s or NOAA’s models predict a geomagnetic storm, it will likely be on the news, so you’re unlikely to miss it. Such strong events are rare, though. �������� had two last year – on May 10 and Oct. 10. Many people saw and photographed the Northern Lights on those days.

However, numerous smaller events still produce very nice substorms visible from here that fly under the media’s radar. To make sure you catch the next storm, you can do one of these three things, depending on how much time and effort you’re willing to invest:

1. Sign up for notifications on (there’s a free and a paid version). You’ll be notified when geomagnetic conditions are favorable for auroras.

2. Visit the Forecast and refresh the page regularly. Pay attention to the hemispheric power index (HPI). While it can’t exactly predict your visual experience, it’s probably the best general indicator.

3. The best way to increase your chances of seeing the aurora is to dive deeper into the phenomenon. Fridrich recommends following spaceweatherlive.com. This website provides live feeds of data from satellites monitoring solar activity and solar wind near Earth, along with real-time data from Earth’s magnetometers. These magnetometers track changes in the magnetic field, and the one in Ottawa correlates strongly with auroral sightings here. All data is displayed graphically and color-coded – green for weak parameters, yellow for moderate, red for strong and dark red to brown for very strong. Key parameters to watch are the solar wind speed, its density and magnetic field strength and orientation (Bz). This data predicts what will reach Earth in 30-60 minutes, depending on the solar wind’s speed, giving you time to prepare and get into position. Aurora displays vary based on these parameters. The critical number to monitor is the Bz component of the magnetic field; the more negative, the better. Substorms are often triggered by sudden changes in solar wind speed, density or magnetic field, but they can also occur under steady conditions. Since predicting individual substorms is difficult, aurora hunting is essentially a waiting game, and experience makes a big difference.

What else can I do to make sure I will see the northern lights?

Three things are important to catch smaller-scale events: knowledge, patience and equipment.

Besides knowing that the geomagnetic activity is going to be strong ahead of time and finding a dark spot, you need to have realistic expectations. Haze and smoke, especially when illuminated by the Moon or light pollution, can stifle the subtle glow of northern lights. Also, your camera or phone will see significantly more than your eyes because electronic imaging devices can accumulate the light over several seconds. Even when you prefer to watch with your eyes only, Fridrich recommends that you start by taking test shots with a camera or phone.

You will know what to look for with your eyes. She often keeps taking test images once every minute or so, just to see whether there is development in the auroral glow. Initially, when the aurora is in its building phase, it looks like a greenish diffuse glow on the horizon that gets brighter with time and also becomes more structured.

Once you start seeing movement and brighter spots within the greens, it means that a substorm might be imminent. While substorms can manifest only as a dance of greens, you can also see red/magenta columns suddenly sprouting up, sometimes reaching quite high into the sky.

“This is the most magical moment that always gives me goosebumps,” Fridrich said. “The sky suddenly brightens, and columns of light shoot high into the sky. Visually, I see them as dark red, almost brown, while the greens underneath appear emerald green to me.” The colors are rather subdued, so do not expect saturated tones; however, cameras and modern phones will capture all the grandeur.

“You need to be patient,” Fridrich said. “We do not pick when we will see the aurora – the aurora picks us.”

Be prepared to spend hours waiting; dress warmly, bring food and water, and consider going with friends to have company. Make it an aurora party! Enjoy spending time under the starry sky. You will likely see other interesting things, such as shooting stars. When the northern lights show up, you will be rewarded for your patience, standing speechless under the stars.

“I have seen dozens of displays, and it just never gets old,” Fridrich said.

Where are spots in the �������� area to see them?

Although you cannot see much from campus because of light pollution, the best places are north of ��������, where you have less light pollution on the northern horizon. You want as dark a sky as possible with minimal glow from distant cities on the northern horizon, free of any obstruction, such as trees or hills. There is one popular spot at a cemetery on East Maine Road where people go to watch comets. Fridrich calls it, The Standard �������� Comet Watching Site (SBCWS).

Fridrich emphasizes minimizing light pollution and obstruction as much as possible or you will not see anything.

How do you photograph them?

“The best option is to have a full-frame digital camera mounted on a tripod,” Fridrich said.

she uses a Nikon Z7 set to white balance 4000K and expose for about six seconds at ISO 1600-4000 with an f2.8 lens.

Her specific settings are as follows. When the Moon is out or if there is light pollution, use a lower ISO. If the aurora moves very quickly, bump up the ISO and shorten the exposure to four or two seconds to prevent motion blur. Indeed, some displays can morph very quickly. Make sure your camera is focused properly by switching to manual focus and focusing on a bright star. Lenses with a large aperture (low f-stop) are the best.

She mostly uses a 24-70 mm f2.8 lens wide open. The zoom is handy for getting the details. For truly magnificent and large displays, such as the one on October 10, 2024, you want a wide-angle lens. As wide as possible, because the aurora might be all around you, including directly above. One thing to keep with you is a lens cleaning cloth to wipe off dew that might accumulate on your lens.

I do not shoot with a phone, but I assume that selecting the night mode is all you need to do. Phones are getting better at imaging under low-light conditions.

“For the best results, I also recommend that you set your device to store the images in RAW or at least uncompressed format to get the most out of the images,” Fridrich said. “You can then use image editing software to ’develop’ your photos to the final form. If you do not want to do this, just shoot JPEGs.”

What are some of your favorite photos you have taken?

Fridrich’s favorite photos are from Oct. 10 of last year. “What an absolutely incredible night that was,” Fridrich said. “Words cannot describe the experience. The aurora was so bright that my students saw it right after sunset, when it was not dark yet, from the middle of the Walmart parking lot!” This storm had it all – a STEVE, SAR, proton aurora, everything.

There were also some less popular displays in �������� Fridrich loved. The show on June 1, 2025, was caused by a very fast coronal mass ejection that was not that dense.

“The shockwave from the CME hit us earlier than NOAA forecasted. I sort of counted on that based on the discussions on spaceweatherlive.com. Since it was supposed to be cloudy in all of New York state, I drove to Lake Erie at the west end of New York, which was one of the few places in the northeastern U.S. where there was no smoke from the Canadian wildfires and no clouds from the low-pressure system that covered the Northeast. The CME hit at 1:30 a.m., and by 2 a.m., the aurora was already up and dancing. I stood by my tripod at the lake until sunrise, snapping one photo after another. I almost collapsed from exhaustion once the show was over as the adrenaline in my bloodstream diminished. This display was very colorful and very dynamic. I bet on NOAA getting it wrong on that day, and it paid off big.”

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Jill DeCancio is an intern for the Office of Media and Public Relations and a junior majoring in English with a minor in Spanish. She is interested in pursuing a career in journalism.