The main reason we’re here in Iceland for three weeks in winter is because, for his birthday trip, Jay wanted to see and photograph the Aurora Borealis. Fortunately, we have been successful! During the first two weeks we were here, there were many cloudy skies and no chance to view lights in the northern skies, although we still enjoyed other sights in this amazing country. During this last week, however, the skies have been mostly clear, and the light shows fantastic.
In this post, I’ll first show photos from the three places where we viewed and photographed the aurora. Then, for those who are interested, I’ll explain some of the details about how this incredible phenomenon is produced. It’s one of nature’s most amazing art shows, making visible something we rarely see—our planet’s magnetic field.
My photos were all taken with my iPhone 15 Max, with 3–10 second exposures. I’ve included three of Jay’s photos. He was using a Nikon D850 camera with a wide-angle zoom lens, using 3–10 second exposures.
After a week in the southwest part of the country near Reykjavik, we flew to Akureyri in the north. This town of around 18,000, the second largest urban area in Iceland, is located at the south end of Eyjafjörður, one of Iceland’s longest fjords. After three nights in Akureyri, we drove to one of Iceland’s northernmost towns—Siglufjörður—which means “sailing fjord”, and is located on a small fjord by the same name.
Next, we drove to Mývatn, a lake with many interesting nearby features. The black area labeled “Krafla fires” is lava that was extruded from fissures during eruptions from 1975–1984. This area is very active because it is on the divergent plate boundary between North America (to the west) and Eurasia (to the east). See my March 3 post for a map of the plate boundary: https://landscapes-revealed.net/return-to-iceland-viewing-lava-from-the-2021-23-eruptions/.
Finally, we drove north to Húsavík, best known for whale watching tours. We then traveled back to Akureyri, where we returned to Reykjavik and then back to Oregon.
Siglufjörður
In Siglufjörður we stayed in the Herring Guesthouse for two nights. Our delightful host suggested driving ten minutes to the southeast, through a short tunnel, to the next small fjord that lacked artificial lights. Here we were super excited to experience our first Icelandic aurora.
The snow and surrounding mountains added to the beauty of this site. The moon (upper right corner) was just a few days from full, but the glow helped illuminate the landscape and did not interfere with our enjoyment of the aurora.Here is Jay in his happy place taking aurora photos. On the right side is one of his photos. That’s the moon again, adding another natural light to the aurora lights.A night photo of Siglufjörður, with its glittering artificial lights reflecting off the water in the fjord. The horizontal lines on the hillslope are protective avalanche barriers. Less visible just above town are berms of piled up rock—obtained from tunnel construction—that are also avalanche protectors. They are topped by hiking trails that provide nice views over the town and fjord.Herring is the reason for this town. Currently, the population of Siglufjörður is about 1200. But it swelled to well over 3,000 in the 1950s, the peak period of a herring fishery boom that started in the 1930s. This metal sculpture of “herring women” honors the many women who came from all over Iceland to process fish and earn a self-sustaining salary. Overfishing led to collapse, however, and by 1970 the fishing boom was over and the population gradually declined to its current level.
It’s a wonderful little town, with amenities such as a good brewery, an excellent Moroccan restaurant, and a summer music festival, making tourism a viable, and less smelly, replacement for fishing. We enjoyed this small town and would return again.
Mývatn
Mývatn means “midge lake” because of the large number of midges found there in the summer. We spent three nights here and saw aurora lights each night, with one spectacular showing. We also toured the area to see fumaroles, water falls, volcanoes of various types, and hot springs. Understandably, it’s a popular area to visit.
Although the aurora in this image is partly obscured by clouds, I like the view across the Skútustaðagígar pseudo craters located on the southwest edge of Mývatn. These cones were formed during an eruption about 2300 years ago, when piping hot lava flowed over cool, wet ground. This trapped steam under the lava and produced extreme pressure. Steam explosions were triggered, creating these craters that are not where the lava was erupted but where the steam erupted. The overlying lava exploded into particles that make up the cones. In the background are the snowy mountains of older volcanoes.These aurora waves are dancing over the landscape on the eastern edge of Mývatn. The cone in the lower left corner is Hverfjall, meaning “geyser mountain”. It is a “tuff cone” that consists of loose particles of lava and ash. It formed around 2500 years ago, when lava from Krafla fissures intruded into groundwater or surface lake water and created recurring explosions. Ash and steam clouds rose above the vent and lava particles fell down around the crater. There is a trail to the top that provides good views across the region.Left-side photo: One evening the aurora suddenly flared and was easily viewed from the cabins where we were staying. Even with the cabins’ lights, the colors were bright and easily visible. With its excellent restaurant and comfortable cabins, the Vogafjos Farm Resort, located on the northeastern edge of the lake, was a great lodging choice. Right-side photo: These aurora lights are flashing in the sky just east of Mývatn. We were amazed how quickly the lights changed from one shape to another and among different shades of green.
Húsavík
Húsavík, meaning “house bay”, is located on the eastern shore of Skjálfandi Bay (see map above). Skjálfandi means “trembling” and may refer to the common earthquakes occurring in the region. Húsavík is located in a transform-fault zone that connects the onshore divergent plate boundary with the oceanic part of the plate boundary—the mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The popular whale-watching tours had started on March 1, but since they’d not yet seen any whales, we opted to visit the excellent Húsavík Whale Museum instead. We were also treated to a dazzling aurora sky show.
Húsavík is located on a harbor. I took this photo next to our small apartment overlooking the harbor. Despite the artificial harbor lights, the aurora was sufficiently bright to be easily visible. These vertical rays were pulsing and changing rapidly, creating a mesmerizing show.I took these photos in a darker location just east of the harbor. Again, the lights did not negate the beauty of the aurora and I thought they even added some interest. The full moon that night illuminated the white snowy mountains on the other side of the bay.With his Nikon camera, Jay took this photo of an old sailing ship in the shipyard on the edge of the harbor. We loved how each location we chose for aurora viewing added its own special qualities.
The Sun and Moon added yet another delight to our earthy views. At 6:30 the next morning, the Sun, Earth, and Moon aligned so that the Moon passed into Earth’s shadow to create a total lunar eclipse. When the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, it appears red-orange and is referred to as a “Blood Moon”.
Jay took this photo of the lunar eclipse, looking westward from the window of our apartment.
What causes the aurora?
In Reykjavik, we visited Aurora Reykjavik—the Northern Lights Center. This museum provided detailed information that helped us to better understand this phenomenon, called the northern lights (aurora borealis) in the Northern Hemisphere and the southern lights (aurora australis) in the Southern Hemisphere. The center explained some of the beliefs of northern peoples, such as the Sámi people of Finnish Lapland, home of the “firefox”. When the arctic fox is running around in dark winter nights, his tail sweeps across the snow, causing great sparks to fly up into the sky.
The center also explains our scientific understanding of the phenomenon. I took photos (below) of diagrams in the center.
The northern lights are a result of the sun’s activity. The Sun acts as an enormous power plant, generating energy deep inside its core. Nuclear reactions release heat energy that radiates outward towards the Sun’s surface in huge swirls called convection cells. These electrical currents of charged gas create magnetic fields inside the Sun. In some places, strong magnetic fields push their way up through the surface, slowing down the swirls of hot gas. This electrically charged gas is called plasma, which drags the magnetic field created inside the Sun farther outwards. The Sun is constantly ejecting charged particles (ions) into space in all directions—this is known as solar wind. Just as Earth has cycles called seasons, the Sun goes through natural 11-year cycles marked by two extremes: solar maxima and solar minima. Solar physicists monitor the solar cycle by studying the surface of the Sun for dark splotches called sun-spots. Solar maxima are characterized by intense solar activity and the greatest sunspot number. We are currently in a solar maximum, which makes it more likely that the northern (and southern) lights will be visible. At a few times during the past year, activity was so intense that the aurora was even visible at lower latitude regions than normal.
Why are the colors mostly green?
You will have noticed that the aurora in our photos are mostly colored green. This is the most common aurora color. The color depends on the altitude where the phenomenon is occurring and on whether the electrically-charged solar particles are colliding with pockets of nitrogen or oxygen in our atmosphere.
The green color is produced by the aurora occurring at 95–250 km over Earth’s surface and by collision of the solar particles with oxygen atoms. This is the most common situation.
Cameras enhance the colors. This is because the camera lens perceives parts of the color spectrum our eyes do not. When the aurora was weak, we used our cameras to make sure it was even there. But fortunately, on our best nights the aurora was strong and easy to find, although our cameras still improved the images.
Jay and I were thrilled to experience the northern lights in different locations in northern Iceland, even though the temperature at night was quite cold. To experience the Sun sparking our magnetic field and making it visible is a true privilege. Nature really is the best artist.
Loved this blog share Karen. From the herring women to all the Mývatn landscape offers, plus your lodging, just spectacular. That word applies to Jay’s blood moon photo too! And now I understand what causes an aurora, fascinating.
Indeed, Jay’s photos with big camera and tripod are superior to my iPhone shots! Still, we were impressed by how well the iPhone did. Thanks for reading.
Wow, what an incredible experience for you two. Your travels are so inspiring, such interesting places.
Thanks for reading!
Fantastic! I’m looking forward to my own trip to Iceland, closer to the fall equinox, when I hope to see the aurora myself!
I’ll bet you will. Looking froward to hearing about your experience!
Loved this blog share Karen. From the herring women to all the Mývatn landscape offers, plus your lodging, just spectacular. That word applies to Jay’s blood moon photo too! And now I understand what causes an aurora, fascinating.
So glad you enjoyed the post!
Awesome article. The for the education.
Thanks for reading Keeley!
What a treat the aurora delivered for you! Looking forward to seeing more of Jay’s photos. Thanks for posting.
Indeed, Jay’s photos with big camera and tripod are superior to my iPhone shots! Still, we were impressed by how well the iPhone did. Thanks for reading.
Sounds like a great trip! Especially for scientists! Yea! Love the photos and explanations! The sky did not disappoint. Love the blood moon photo!
Thanks for reading!
I love reading your blog, Karen, and seeing the photos, both yours and Shay’s. Awesome!!!
Thanks Jane! It’s nice to stay in touch, even across the country!