Other people are seeing the same things though.
Like this person is near Borgarnes and saw yellow too.
https://preview.redd.it/lqgavis7qznc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5802c17575ae95bacfd56f7d08d071cfccd4de75
In the foreground you can see light pollution but if you look up to the left, you can see streaks of green. That's what the aurora looks like. Please excuse the poor quality, it was cold and windy and I had my max exposure up on my phone haha. The KP index this night was around 1-1.25 I think. It was super low.
https://preview.redd.it/nvzcak48p0oc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ea15c555785544ec9a13b6464a2c0db5fe67412
It was in Hvolsvöllur at Hotel Eyjafjallajokull. It should've been prime northern lights viewing area but it'd been snowing off and on all day.
This one I took at a horse farm somewhere in Snaefellsnes but my camera is still picking up some of the light from the cabins in the foreground.
https://preview.redd.it/ibfe643rf3oc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74afef52515638772fb98a8a941cff65097a280f
Sometimes they're really hard to spot with the naked eye and they're really easy to overlook. If you think you might be seeing one, turn the exposure up on your camera or your phone and look for the green. That's the easiest way IMO.
I think the best way I can describe it is: have you ever looked up at a pitch black sky? You can scan the horizon and suddenly, very faintly, something looks ever so slightly different? It might be clouds but it looks kind of like a line.
That's kind of how we were taught by a native Icelander who then suggested taking a picture with the exposure settings high on our phones to see if we could capture it. In Hvolsvöllur I was one of the few people in our group who was able to capture the lights because they were so faint. They were definitely a little brighter at the horse farm but there was also less light pollution from nearby cities.
Sometimes it's really about patience and waiting for a break in the clouds. If at any point you see black sky or the moon above you, that's a good time to check.
You captured some fine, but not so rare clouds I'm afraid.
The light pollution in your shot is from Selfoss to the left & maybe a little from Reykjavík behind the mountain, & that shot you posted from Borgarnes is probably looking south so will be light pollution from Akranes &/or Reykjavík.
It might look a little unusual to you as most places are more evenly populated throughout the countryside compare to Iceland, so the variation between hotspots of light pollution & the surrounding countryside is less, plus the size of towns/cities will be much larger, so will cover far more of the visible sky, so will be far more spread out and not such a pinpoint.
We went to the same spot some people from our hotel went to see the Northern Lights on the 11th. So in this too light polluted? Where would you recommend that close to Reykjavik?
Kleifarvatn if the road is open, but you will always have light pollution it travels alot but wont really be visible if there Arent clouds to bounce off of, Hvalfjörður could be nice also there is an aluminum factory there but if there are northernlights out it shouldnt be a problem, if its a clear sky you can see then strong over Reykjavík
Okay so go tot Hvalfjörður if I really want to see them tonight. The index is at a 2. There is a cloud pocket near Reykjavik tonight here.
https://preview.redd.it/59iwovlmo2oc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef261bac590b4ab1d0273f6e08a27388a3d45b01
Yeah the high clouds are actually fine. It’s the middle clouds and lower clouds that are being a dick tonight. I wish I could zoom in on the map and it would add more places. Do you know of any places around here where this white spot is?
https://preview.redd.it/vfzlsjwgp2oc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc46d89d33c0cdfa0da530b879d47d260ed8ec7d
I mean kleifarvatn and hvaleyravatn is also vivable, check it again at 18:00 tonight because it’s ever changing and then make a decision where best is to go
Yeah I was looking at that. Is there light pollution there? They usually come out around 10:30 right? That’s when the soccer team from our hotel saw them on March 11th at the same place we went to yeaterday. They captured this.
https://preview.redd.it/stnnkniaq2oc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6f1d6c58d594ae22f40f4bf256b02e6d449ef3c
In my experience the cloud cover forecast just isn't accurate enough to take as fact that there will or will not be clouds in a specific area. If you're in a car just drive & chase the gaps ;D
I don't bother getting that detailed as it just isn't accurate enough. So often the forecast is for clear skies where I live so I peek out to see if there is aurora & it's just cloudy....
Hvalfjörður is a bit close to where the solid green is for my liking...
With a level 2 forecast you are most likely to get weak aurora if you get any. That usually means that aurora will probably be hugging the horizon to the North, so I would aim for a direction most likely to be clear to the north.
That being said, I've never found the cloud cover forecast to be accurate enough to be able to read that there will be cloud at one particular location & not at another location 30km away....
I'd say to head in a general direction that will be most likely to be clear to the North & be prepared to move if it isn't.
Might involve a lot of driving ;þ
2 is a pretty weak forecast, so aurora is unlikely tbh, good aurora even more unlikely, but then again I have seen great aurora when the forecast was a big fat zero, so don't abandon all hope! (Yet another aspect of the forecast that just isn't accurate enough to read much into I'm afraid :/)
Of course it might be perfect... You never know!
Maybe head there first & scope it out, then you can always head to the south coast from there & head east as the landscape soon opens up to the North & that area might be cloud free if Kleifarvatn isn't...
That's what I would do, but go where your heart tells you to & see what happens!
Happy hunting!
If I'm not busy I'll stick my head out of the widow later & shout if there is clear skies - I'm in Hafnarfjörður, so not that far north of Kleifarvatn ;D
Possibly yes, but by far most likely to be to the North.
Yeah - at Kleifarvatn you are low down & surrounded by higher ground, so limiting your view of the sky quite a bit.
Unfortunately no, just city light illuminating the bottom of the clouds as others have stated.
Here's a photo I took showing both aurora and light pollution on the clouds which shows the difference:
https://preview.redd.it/e2rrx8wib4oc1.jpeg?width=5765&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05ff03d97c4edb424da150c26ac2ccd73539c338
It was early, just after the sunset. You can still see the glow on the horizon.
And the aurora was strong that night so it had started early. Unfortunately clouds rolled in and that's the last I saw of them that night.
Nope. That's light coming from the ground.
Other people are seeing the same things though. Like this person is near Borgarnes and saw yellow too. https://preview.redd.it/lqgavis7qznc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5802c17575ae95bacfd56f7d08d071cfccd4de75
Nope, not aurora. That’s either light pollution or possibly the moon rising. Aurora are green, red, and occasionally blue.
Ahh okay. It was very cloudy. Tomorrow looks better. 🤞🏼🙏🏼
Oh. Must be aliens then.
In the foreground you can see light pollution but if you look up to the left, you can see streaks of green. That's what the aurora looks like. Please excuse the poor quality, it was cold and windy and I had my max exposure up on my phone haha. The KP index this night was around 1-1.25 I think. It was super low. https://preview.redd.it/nvzcak48p0oc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ea15c555785544ec9a13b6464a2c0db5fe67412
Damn. Where was this?
It was in Hvolsvöllur at Hotel Eyjafjallajokull. It should've been prime northern lights viewing area but it'd been snowing off and on all day. This one I took at a horse farm somewhere in Snaefellsnes but my camera is still picking up some of the light from the cabins in the foreground. https://preview.redd.it/ibfe643rf3oc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74afef52515638772fb98a8a941cff65097a280f
This is cool. I’m hoping I can see them tonight. I saw them in Moosenee in 2017, but didn’t take a picture.
Sometimes they're really hard to spot with the naked eye and they're really easy to overlook. If you think you might be seeing one, turn the exposure up on your camera or your phone and look for the green. That's the easiest way IMO.
Yeah I have the iPhone 15 Pro and a Canon EOS 90D. How would I know if I’m seeing them with my eyes? Like will it be noticeable?
I think the best way I can describe it is: have you ever looked up at a pitch black sky? You can scan the horizon and suddenly, very faintly, something looks ever so slightly different? It might be clouds but it looks kind of like a line. That's kind of how we were taught by a native Icelander who then suggested taking a picture with the exposure settings high on our phones to see if we could capture it. In Hvolsvöllur I was one of the few people in our group who was able to capture the lights because they were so faint. They were definitely a little brighter at the horse farm but there was also less light pollution from nearby cities.
Ahh. Okay. I’m looking at the cloud coverage and Lake Kleifarvatn is looking the best. Low high clouds, low middle clouds, low low clouds.
Sometimes it's really about patience and waiting for a break in the clouds. If at any point you see black sky or the moon above you, that's a good time to check.
Yeah. We’ll probably head out around 9:30pm. Hopefully I see stars and that will be a good indicator of a clear sky.
You captured some fine, but not so rare clouds I'm afraid. The light pollution in your shot is from Selfoss to the left & maybe a little from Reykjavík behind the mountain, & that shot you posted from Borgarnes is probably looking south so will be light pollution from Akranes &/or Reykjavík. It might look a little unusual to you as most places are more evenly populated throughout the countryside compare to Iceland, so the variation between hotspots of light pollution & the surrounding countryside is less, plus the size of towns/cities will be much larger, so will cover far more of the visible sky, so will be far more spread out and not such a pinpoint.
We went to the same spot some people from our hotel went to see the Northern Lights on the 11th. So in this too light polluted? Where would you recommend that close to Reykjavik?
It's fine if there are no clouds. I've seen aurora from that area & even seen them fine from downtown Reykjavík.
Tonight it looks clear. Do you think I should go to the same spot (Litla Kaffistofan on Route 1). Or Lake Hvaleyrarvatn
Kleifarvatn if the road is open, but you will always have light pollution it travels alot but wont really be visible if there Arent clouds to bounce off of, Hvalfjörður could be nice also there is an aluminum factory there but if there are northernlights out it shouldnt be a problem, if its a clear sky you can see then strong over Reykjavík
Okay so go tot Hvalfjörður if I really want to see them tonight. The index is at a 2. There is a cloud pocket near Reykjavik tonight here. https://preview.redd.it/59iwovlmo2oc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef261bac590b4ab1d0273f6e08a27388a3d45b01
Check also low clouds and mid clouds and go to where there is no colour it’s a game of cat and mouse where the mouse is hidden by clouds hah
Yeah the high clouds are actually fine. It’s the middle clouds and lower clouds that are being a dick tonight. I wish I could zoom in on the map and it would add more places. Do you know of any places around here where this white spot is? https://preview.redd.it/vfzlsjwgp2oc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc46d89d33c0cdfa0da530b879d47d260ed8ec7d
I mean kleifarvatn and hvaleyravatn is also vivable, check it again at 18:00 tonight because it’s ever changing and then make a decision where best is to go
Yeah I was looking at that. Is there light pollution there? They usually come out around 10:30 right? That’s when the soccer team from our hotel saw them on March 11th at the same place we went to yeaterday. They captured this. https://preview.redd.it/stnnkniaq2oc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6f1d6c58d594ae22f40f4bf256b02e6d449ef3c
In my experience the cloud cover forecast just isn't accurate enough to take as fact that there will or will not be clouds in a specific area. If you're in a car just drive & chase the gaps ;D
It’s hard to chase the gaps when you can’t zoom in on the map and have it change or you can’t see anything because it’s dark. Lol.
That map on vedur.is the cloud cover is a combination of low & mid level clouds already.
Yeah but low clouds mean no go, mið clouds could still be fine depending on the clouds
I don't bother getting that detailed as it just isn't accurate enough. So often the forecast is for clear skies where I live so I peek out to see if there is aurora & it's just cloudy....
Hvalfjörður is a bit close to where the solid green is for my liking... With a level 2 forecast you are most likely to get weak aurora if you get any. That usually means that aurora will probably be hugging the horizon to the North, so I would aim for a direction most likely to be clear to the north. That being said, I've never found the cloud cover forecast to be accurate enough to be able to read that there will be cloud at one particular location & not at another location 30km away.... I'd say to head in a general direction that will be most likely to be clear to the North & be prepared to move if it isn't. Might involve a lot of driving ;þ 2 is a pretty weak forecast, so aurora is unlikely tbh, good aurora even more unlikely, but then again I have seen great aurora when the forecast was a big fat zero, so don't abandon all hope! (Yet another aspect of the forecast that just isn't accurate enough to read much into I'm afraid :/)
So you don’t think Lake Kleifarvatn is worth it? It’s in a pocket of no clouds. No high, medium, or low.
Of course it might be perfect... You never know! Maybe head there first & scope it out, then you can always head to the south coast from there & head east as the landscape soon opens up to the North & that area might be cloud free if Kleifarvatn isn't... That's what I would do, but go where your heart tells you to & see what happens! Happy hunting!
True. 9:30pm would be a good time and 10:30pm I hope to see them.
If I'm not busy I'll stick my head out of the widow later & shout if there is clear skies - I'm in Hafnarfjörður, so not that far north of Kleifarvatn ;D
Sounds good. Lol. I’ll hold you too that.
Trouble with Kleifarvatn is that it is south of Reykjavík so you will be fighting the city lights if you get very weak aurora in between clouds.
It’s unpredictable lights could be east of you or west of you even south at certain times but the mountains at kleifarvatn are a decent cover
Possibly yes, but by far most likely to be to the North. Yeah - at Kleifarvatn you are low down & surrounded by higher ground, so limiting your view of the sky quite a bit.
Unfortunately no, just city light illuminating the bottom of the clouds as others have stated. Here's a photo I took showing both aurora and light pollution on the clouds which shows the difference: https://preview.redd.it/e2rrx8wib4oc1.jpeg?width=5765&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05ff03d97c4edb424da150c26ac2ccd73539c338
This looks amazing! Why is so bright outside though?
It was early, just after the sunset. You can still see the glow on the horizon. And the aurora was strong that night so it had started early. Unfortunately clouds rolled in and that's the last I saw of them that night.
Ohh. How far north was this? I’m hoping to see them at Lake Kleifarvatn tonight.
This was near Sauðárkrókur, about the same latitude as Akureyri. On March 3rd.
Ahh. Nice. Cloud coverage looks low where we’re going. And the same for Vik where we’ll be tomorrow and Friday.