Northern Lights brightness
HOW BRIGHT IS THE AURORA?
Are the northern lights as bright as you see in pictures or is that a result of photoshopping and clever camera settings?
The short answer is yes, they will be just as bright as in pictures, though not all the time.
The slightly longer answer: intensity of light display varies continuously. At times activity can be very weak and will only look like a slight fog to the naked eye; yet even under these circumstances a photo may show much brighter lights due to longer exposure times, sensitivity of sensor, etc. Keepin mind you can get entire nights with very low, very short activity.
At other times aurora activity will be at its peak; lights will be just as bright as you see in pretty pictures – no kidding! Bright green shapes and patterns moving continously, appearing and disappearing, strikingly vivid even to the naked eye. This peak intensity may not last very long, or may come and go (keep in mind that you need to allow you eyes to adjust to the brightness for best results; details in our Preparation and logistics chapter).
And most of the time intensity will be somewhere in between, as patterns shift rapidly.
In any event, rest assured that if you do your homework right, you stand a very good chance of seeing a great display.
The final chapter of our guide briefly covers the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis. Check it out!.
