Aurora
Northern lights

How to hunt the northern lights

You don’t find the aurora by chance. You need darkness, a clear sky and an active sun — and to know where to look and where to drive.

By Marek, FindAdventure6 min readUpdated 4 November 2026

1Why you have to “hunt” the aurora

The northern lights are something you hunt. For them to show up, these conditions have to come together:

  • Darkness — the aurora season in Lapland runs roughly from late August to early April. Summer nights are bright and the aurora can’t be seen.
  • A clear sky with no clouds or fog.
  • A view to the north — with low activity (Kp 2–3) the aurora near Rovaniemi is usually low above the northern horizon. With higher activity (Kp 4–5) it moves overhead, and in strong storms (Kp 6+) it can even appear in the southern sky.
  • An active sun — the sun sends out a stream of particles (the solar wind). It takes 1–4 days to travel from the sun to Earth, but a satellite measuring it 1.5 million km away gives us about 30–60 minutes’ notice. That is how far ahead we can predict the aurora quite well.

2Look for a hole in the clouds

That’s why you have to hunt. It often happens that the sky above you is cloudy — then you need to go where there is a gap or a clear sky. Cloud forecasts and satellite images help (e.g. Finnish Meteorological Institute, yr.no or Windy). Sometimes a few dozen kilometres is enough; in extreme cases you may need to drive up to 200 km north, towards Norway.

Always try to find a big frozen lake. It gives you the widest possible view of the sky and keeps you away from city lights.

3How to read the forecast

The best app for space-weather forecasts is SpaceWeatherLive (free for iPhone and Android). You’ll find the same data on our Aurora LIVE page — including alerts on your phone when the aurora is on its way.

The most important chart is Bz. Watch the red line (negative values, “south”). The vertical “Earth” line (“Now” on our page) shows what is reaching Earth right now; everything to the right of it is a forecast for roughly the next 30–60 minutes.

  • Below −5: a good chance of seeing some aurora.
  • Around −10 and lower: strong aurora.
  • Below −12: the sky “explodes” — the aurora dances and quickly changes shape and colour.

It matters that negative Bz lasts at least 15–30 minutes. A faster solar wind (above 500 km/s) helps too.

Vikajärvi

A large lake with a view to the north and a fireplace where you can make your own fire. About 25 minutes’ drive from Rovaniemi. Open in maps

Olkkajärvi

Closer to Rovaniemi (about 15 minutes’ drive). Being so close to town it can be busy, but it’s worth a try. There is a lovely shelter with a fireplace where you can grill a sausage to pass the waiting time. Open in maps

5A fire and a sausage while you wait

Definitely make a fire — waiting for the aurora can take a while. You can buy firewood in almost any shop, sometimes at petrol stations; one bag is enough. Buy some sausages, maybe bread, and bring a knife. The best is a Marttiini knife — made right in Rovaniemi, with a shop in Santa Claus Village too. A great souvenir from Lapland. A longer wooden stick is handy for grilling, but you can manage without one — be creative.

Only make fires at marked fireplaces, and never when there is a forest fire warning.

6Extra tips

  • Dress in layers — by a lake it can be −25 °C and you don’t move much while waiting. A thermos of hot tea is gold.
  • Switch off lights and let your eyes adjust to the dark for 10–15 minutes. Turn your phone screen right down.
  • A weak aurora looks greyish-white to the naked eye, almost like a cloud — a camera shows it green. If you’re not sure, take a photo of the “cloud”.
  • For photos use a tripod, manual mode, ISO 1600–3200, the widest aperture and 2–10 s exposure. Modern phones have a night mode.
  • Batteries drain fast in the cold — keep spares in a pocket close to your body.
  • Be patient: the aurora comes in waves, most often between 21:00 and 01:00, but it can appear any time it’s dark.