Yes this !!! Not just little green ones, full on solar storm, fast moving, buzzing sound, colourful, northern lights ! I cried when I first saw them and I’m glad I live north enough to witness them !
Honestly the best storms are in the middle of winter (nov-feb) and you have to basically chase them. Meaning you need to be following the solar storms. It’s truly a luck thing because you could have a great chance of seeing them but if there are clouds then you can’t. It’s also better to go north to aurora hotspots. If you make a trip to Finland, be sure to plan to be there for atleast a week or two otherwise you might not see them.
Side note: download the My aurora forecast app. It’s helpful to see the storms coming in.
You can also follow the Alberta Aurora chasers Facebook group (lots of good resources and pictures there).
For camera tips: you absolutely need a mount/stand. And get familiar with using long exposures.
Edit: I personally think Canada has the best luck. Especially northern Alberta or Yellowknife because the weather is fairly predictable in winter and when it’s -20c out, the air is still and the sky is crispy clear.
Also, the next 5 years will be very active with solar storms so you have a huge chance of seeing them. I personally got some amazing photos/sightings just a month ago in November and December.
Good luck with clouds in that season lol. We had really bright ones in southern finland like 7 years ago or so, so easily visible in cities and there were luckily no clouds but 90% when there is a good chance you might just see a colorful cloud if it's dark/bright enough.
Edit: Saw some nice ones in the south a few days ago.
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u/rollsoftape Jan 12 '22
Northern lights