Anyone been to Svalbard/Longyearbyen - considering from a Northern Lights and general astrophotography perspective

[SiD the Turtle]

Nearly 10 years ago for my 30th (which is in December) I went to the middle of nowhere outside of Tromso to see the Northern Lights. While it was an amazing holiday what I saw was a lot of cloud and snow! As my 40th rolls round the wife and I are considering Longyearbyen for next December, to see the lights and maybe get some astrophotography in a class 1 Bortle whereas I'm in a class 5.

But, being December if I look at the Clear Outside page right now, it's 100% cloud again. So I guess luck of course will play a role, but has anyone been this far north or indeed live in the area and offer any advice? I don't have to go in December, we could go another month where it makes more sense. Though the idea of actually being able to do astrophotography at a time other than 2am sounds like heaven!

[michael8554]

Similar Norwegian experience.

Spent a cold evening on a golf course, no breaks in the cloud.

Next evening on the cruise liner we had a magnificent display.

It would seem that Scandinavia in winter is often 100% cloud cover.

So seeing the lights is a matter of luck, going to a different location may make no difference.

Apart from being further north, which is deeper into the zone.

Michael

 

[Rallemikken]

The aurora is overrated. Has destroyed many AP-sessions for me.

[icpn]

They have a polar bear problem then at night so I would think that doing AP alone might be a really bad idea.

[gregbwfc]

Went there for my 50th, really interesting place.

My birthday being in August though, we got the midnight sun, rather than northern lights 😄.

Was weird leaving Oslo at dusk and seeing the sky getting lighter.

Went to Ivalo, Finnish lapland just before covid hit.

The clouds finally lifted on our last night and we had great aurora views.

Just to add, Longyearbyen being the main town is probably well lit.

And as mentioned, the bear problem is definitely there. 

Saw snowmobiles with rifle holsters 😲

Edited December 22, 2022 by gregbwfc

[Shimrod]

On 21/12/2022 at 10:27, SiD the Turtle said:

Nearly 10 years ago for my 30th (which is in December) I went to the middle of nowhere outside of Tromso to see the Northern Lights. While it was an amazing holiday what I saw was a lot of cloud and snow! As my 40th rolls round the wife and I are considering Longyearbyen for next December, to see the lights and maybe get some astrophotography in a class 1 Bortle whereas I'm in a class 5.

But, being December if I look at the Clear Outside page right now, it's 100% cloud again. So I guess luck of course will play a role, but has anyone been this far north or indeed live in the area and offer any advice? I don't have to go in December, we could go another month where it makes more sense. Though the idea of actually being able to do astrophotography at a time other than 2am sounds like heaven!

I've been, but in summer which isn't much good for Northern Lights! As others have said, polar bears will be an issue and I don't think it would be safe to be outside at night without a guide. Even in summer we were confined to a relatively small area outside which we we warned not to travel solo. 

Travelling to see the aurora is always a bit of a gamble because you need the sun, the weather and the time of day all to play nicely at the same time! I think the time away rather than the location is the key factor - the longer you are in the 'aurora zone' the more chance you have of seeing something. I favour Iceland as a destination even though it is not as far north as other popular  Scandinavian locations is because it offers more as a holiday location - especially if you like photography. Best times to travel for aurora are around the autumn and spring equinox when there is an uptick in activity. For Iceland Autumn is a good time to travel as it is still easy to get around - Spring (or March) it can be very cold, icy and snowy. Iceland has plenty of class 1 Bortle skies as well and perhaps most importantly you can travel around at night without fear of getting attacked by bears!

[Steve Reed]

I went to Alta in February a couple of years ago. We paid quite a lot to go on a 'Northern Lights safari' but the views were disappointing. The following night there was a breathtaking display right above the lodge we were staying in. I managed to get some good photos and the technical advice I was given as part of the safari was very helpful. It is always going to be pot luck in terms of cloud cover, solar activity etc. but I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible things I have witnessed.

Steve

[carastro]

Iceland might be a better bet for aurora.  Went there 10 years ago, and no polar bears there apart from one in a museum that arrived in Iceland on an iceberg and sadly they had to shoot it for safety reasons.  

The Aurora is pretty much overhead there at times, it certainly was when we were there in February 2012.   You'll need to get out into the countryside to see it though, although on rare occasions it has been bright enough to see from Reykjavik, but as an imager I think you'll be doing that anyway.  We stayed both in Reykjavik and then travelled to Lake Myvatn where we saw the aurora.   Very dark there. 

Quote

The aurora is overrated. Has destroyed many AP-sessions for me.

It's not over-rated if you don't live in an auroral zone and never get a chance to see it.  I think it is on most people's bucket list.  But I can see how annoying it could be if you do live in an auroral location and are an imager.  

Carole 

Edited December 23, 2022 by carastro

[ollypenrice]

6 minutes ago, carastro said:

Iceland might be a better bet for aurora.  Went there 10 years ago, and no polar bears there apart from one in a museum that arrived in Iceland on an iceberg and sadly they had to shoot it for safety reasons.  

The Aurora is pretty much overhead there at times, it certainly was when we were there in February 2012.   You'll need to get out into the countryside to see it though, although on rare occasions it has been bright enough to see from Reykjavik, but as an imager I think you'll be doing that anyway.  We stayed both in Reykjavik and then travelled to Lake Myvatn where we saw the aurora.   Very dark there. 

It's not over-rated if you don't live in an auroral zone and never get a chance to see it.  I think it is on most people's bucket list.  But I can see how annoying it could be if you do live in an auroral location and are an imager.  

Carole 

Exactly. I'd get pretty sick of the Sahara Desert if I had to live in it but that doesn't mean I don't want to see it!

Olly

[tomato]

If I had to pick one "exotic" location, it would be the Atacama region. Much less of a gamble weather wise, and I'd pick DSO viewing/imaging over local atmospheric phenomena  every  time.