I just skipped all these steps and named our Finnish daughter Aurora. So I can easily see a Finnish Aurora.

As professional northern light hunter/photographer, here's some tips: 1) Check the weather: You need clear sky, if you don’t see stars, there is no point to go out. Or use weather forecast to find a spot with clear sky! 2) Use an aurora app! People use apps, but don't know how to use them... DO NOT check the KP or predictions, KP is a matter of latitude and prediction are based on previous years: we don't care! Go straight to the graphs and check the 4: - The Speed of solar wind need to be above 350 km/s - The density of Particles per Cubic Cm (P/CC) need to be above 5 (the second most important one) - The inclinaison of magnetic field (BZ) need to be bellow 0 (the most important one) - The intensity of magnetic field (BT) need to be above 5 Those indications are from DSCOVR satellite, it takes between 30-40mn to arrive on earth. So you check when everything is ok, then you add Universal Time (2h for Finland), then 30mn = Enjoy! 3) Look in the north direction, find a lake, a bog or some place open in north direction. The flames from the fox will appear on roughly 160° wide with north in the middle. Sometimes everywhere but never at the beginning. 4) Use a phone and a tripod, go to your "pro" mode and add those preset : 2sec delay (do not move at all) / 4sec speed exposure (S) / ISO 1000 / Focus Multi (F) And (of course) no flash. 5) Massive explosions like crazy pictures online arrives for real and you can see them clear, but they are extremely RARE, maybe 4-5 times per season, you need to be crazy lucky. 25% of time you will see nothing with your eyes, but camera will. 50% of time you will see an ark (big or small) and 24% of time they are a bigger but blurry. Enjoy!

I saw a gorgeous green aurora when I was 10. That was 47 years ago, and I still remember it clearly. They truly are magical.

I was at my friend's cottage by lake in Mikkeli, having 4 hr evening swimming, sauna, eating sausages with drinks, snow everywhere, butt naked and having the best time and Boom, Northern lights appeared, it was fantastic to see, never forget it. Welcome to Finland and I was visiting from America.

Even as an app developer, I really must agree with trusting apps blindly is a huge mistake. Never know when the show starts, and the beautiful landscape is quite amazing even without northern lights. One more mistake that might not be as bad, is the position and phase the moon is in during the period you go traveling for northern lights. Nice if possible to avoid full moon and if possible, go traveling when the moon is down during night. Thanks for great content!

Too of my bucket list to see the Northern Lights.

The informaiton you provided in your blog post was awesome, here in Australia we get cooked by sun where we live, about 35 to 40 degrees in summer and about 15 degrees in winter

Believe it or not, I dreamt northern lights the last night and now you came out with this video 😃 I have spotted my first Aurora on the very first night in Rovaniemi some years ago. What a privilege! It looked like two thin green lines dancing in the sky. I was so mesmerized by that experience that I didn't want to take my camera off and get some footages. Sometimes I find the camera is a distraction, sometimes I want to fully enjoy the moment and I want it all for myself. After 30 minutes, I was freezing at -20°, it decided to vanish as quickly as it appeared. I ran to the hotel shouting at the receptionist "woooo I've just seen the Aurora!!!" And he replied, calmly, "pfftt we see it every night...." And I was like "whaaaat I traveled 2000 km for this!!!!!!!!!" Haha! Aurora was one of the greatest experience in my life

thank you so much that was really helpful, wish I have the chance someday to see it

I saw them on Sunday near Rovaniemi. Amazing!!

Thanks Varpu! This was excellent! I appreciate the time and effort you put into doing this 🙌

Some suggestions to make mobile phone pictures of the aurora: Learn how to use the exposure and ISO features on your phone. My older Android in Pro photo mode will take up to a 10 second exposure at ISO 800, which helps bring out the colors. Newer phones have more features. Besides a tripod I recommend getting a Bluetooth camera shutter remote control. Once you pair it to your phone, you can snap a photo without touching the camera. Helps keep it from shaking and blurring the photo. Some phones use voice commands to trigger the camera, which works just as well. Enjoy!

Impressive video! thanks a lot! Taking notes right now and going in few weeks to try to catch it!

Very informative video and great advice!! Thank you!

This is a wonderful video. Long ago, in 1989, I have visited Lapland during a training in Helsinki, Finland, and seen the Auroras. Your candid video brings back all the nostalgic memories. Thank you for the very informative and lovely presentation !

I am from Tornio and I grew up watching those beautiful Northern Lights every winter. They were just stunning. We were living away from the city lights so when I got dark, it got really dark and the views were so clear. I can not tell you how much I miss Finnish FOOD, oooh oooh, poron kuivalihaa ja maksalaatikkoa ja monia muita. Hei hei.

As always, a very informative and interesting video. Thank you Varpu!

Thanks for the video !!

Hi Varpu, We were very fortunate to witness the Northern lights during our visit to Karkussen on 25-28th January 2023. the first night we saw them from our Igloo attached to our log cabin when we ran outside to photograph them, the second night we captured them during out reindeer safari!!!. I was always under the impression that the light could be seen green with the naked eye however, it wasn't until I pointed my IPhone 14 at the lights I could see them more clearly. Wouldn't it be amazing if someone could invent a pair of glasses with the same lens technology as our camera's much in the same way as 3D glasses were used in watching 3D films in cinema's? Keep up your amazing work! The Finnish tourism board should employ you full time to actively promote visits to your country with that natural welcoming Finnish smile!!!!!! Looking forward to returning someday! :)

I really did enjoy the video. Great presentation, very informative. Definitely going to apply your tips if I were ever to see the aurora. 😊

hiiii! I really enjoy your video, it's useful and helped me a lot to know more about Finland.

Looking forward to my very first northern lights experience in Finland, kiitos!!

Very Informative and in love with your smily talking😍

Omg ,your excitement when you are talking is just unreal , love it 😊

Kiitos for sharing your tips to enjoy Lapland and auroras. I can't wait to come to Finland to experience all of this! I'll definitely buy a tripod!

Such a lovely smile. Thank you for the information I hope all are as cheerful and happy as you seem in Finland. 🙌🏾

You've convinced me! Been to Tromso. Lapland next

Thank you for a GREAT video! :-) Excellent information, super well organized, wonderful presenting style. THANK YOU !!!! :-)

Hi. Thanks for your video. I'm Brazilian 🇧🇷 . See the northern Lights is my dream. 😍 Probably, I'll cry when i see.

Thanks for your information

Great video. Many thanks.

Hey Varpu, thanks a lot for sharing your experiences. I just returned from Saariselkä with awesome pictures of northern lights.

Always wanted to see them. Must be such an amazing experience... ❤️❤️❤️

Love the video. Thank you so much. I have seen the Aurora in Lapland a few times (Tromso several times, Kiruna/Abisko a couple of times - though sadly, neither are in Finland, but the tours from the former often go across the border) & really love what I have been able to see. Good advice - especially about batteries (which lose their power very fast in the cold). The best display I saw was 30th Jan in 2017 in Finland. They are both wonderful and very addictive! :)

Thank you for this and for your smiling face

Thank you for the tips fary godmother👍

Wonderful presentation 🥰

Thank you so much!🙂

Im going to lapland in a month and I am so exited. My dream has always been to see the northern lights ans I hope it’s finally fulfilling. Thanks for your tips, especially regarding the powerbank, I was not thinking about this. Great video 👍🏻

Thank you for the video and your suggestions I will be heading to Rovaniemi in March 2024. Can’t wait.

I love your contagious smile! 🤩

Thank you very much. We head to Lapland in April.

Good Info! Will visit the place.Keep safe Varpu..

Wonderful advice! Esp. "don't make your trip all about Auroras". You would get very disappointed if you plan nothing ahead but only aurora, but fail to see it (which is very likely). I was lucky enough to watch my first aurora in Iceland in 2018. But in the same trip, the glacier trekking alone was such a wonderful experience. It already completed my trip even if I hadn't been able to see the aurora. Likewise, another amazing aurora encounter in Inari, Lapland in 2020 (even more beautiful, with those dancing lights of multi-color). But the fjord experience in Norway in the same trip was also precious enough to mark my trip.

Hello Varpu, beautiful video :D Brazil is here!

I'm leaving this Sunday for Yllas. I hope I see some aurora! Thank you for this video.

Varpu, you are an excellent blogger. Keep up the good work, I am from the Philippines admiring you.

Dreaming to see Auroras too. Plan to go to Lapland this coming January 26 to 27. Hoping we can see Aurora this time.

Informative video. Indeed that's our mistakes. How many times we went for aurora hunting in Iceland,Findland with tours but nothing.Hoping on our next northern lights hunting we could get some luck. Thanks👍

Moi! Nice video. Joo, I plan on moving to Finland and have been looking in Roveniemi. Aside from the beautiful Northern lights I am captivated by the beauty of the wintry landscape. Kiitos!

Yes!! Bucket list to experience the aurora! Mother Nature's light show!

Hello beautiful!!! Thank you for this video!!! 😍😍😍😍

Hi Varpu. Thanks for this great video and the advices about aurora hunting. I will visit Saariselkä in Februrary and I'm so exciting to see the Finnish Winter-Wonderland. And I'm dreaming of- and hoping to- see the Auroras. Your tips will be helpfull. Thanks!

We saw them in keflavik December 2022. All your advice was Perfect 👍

Thanks for your Information! We will stay in Lapland in February 2023 and Hope so much to have some cloud free nights 🙏🏼

I saw the revontulet in Taivalkoski (near Kuusamo) in January when I was working in Finland many years ago. We all got dressed quickly (it was minus 35C) and went out onto the street to see it. The next night I was in the sauna and looked up through a small window and there it was again - green and moving slowly. So I called all my colleagues and we got dressed quickly (again) and rushed outside, but... no aurora! Disappointed we all went back inside and when I went to collect my towel from the sauna, I realised that it was steam from a factory chimney that I had seen through the green glass window in the basement where the sauna was. We all had a good laugh when I told them what had happened!

Great smile!

Watching from Philippines, we'll be travelling to Europe this Summer thanks for the tips ❤️

Hello Varpu thanks for the video, it was great! I am from Australia and I would Loove to see the Aurora!

It's my dream. I have a short bucket list and this is on it.

Amazing colors! The splotches of brown against the blue/gray background! I had to pause the video to make sure that I wasn't seeing things.

We are going to Finland for a week on January 7, 2023, Kittilä, we hope that we will see the Northern Lights. Thank you very much for the tips in your video

🎉gorgeous teacher ….. learn a lots of things from you 😊

Thanks for sharing, Varpu! Quite good information and well packed! I'd say this is an excellent post for people traveling to Finland. However, for local residents, it may not be feasible to travel to Lapland on a short notice. I'd like to add a key element here - looking at the aurora forecast (long and short term) and getting familiar with the weather on the sun is key to hunting. I live in Espoo and like you say, have seen many faint shows but also some of the best shows of my life. Have you ever tried aurora hunting from south of Finland? :)

thank you, it is great video, i hope to go there and enjoy it,,

Thank you for the awesome video! I was planning to take a trip to Finland next year and your tips are super helpful!

YES, one of my cream is to see auroras🤩🤩🤩🤩

Yes!! Seeing the Aurora is my lifelong dream!! I’m headed to Lapland in 6 weeks to search for northern lights, saunas, huskies, reindeer, and a level of cold that I have never known before!! This was super helpful! Thank you!!

you are so positive

Nice! Just made a similar vlog guide for finding them in Iceland 😎✌🏽

I'm too far south (Nevada, USA. East of California) for auroras, but I still find them scientifically and aesthetically pleasing. And I enjoy learning about science. I thank you for the advice, it teaches a lot about the auroras that just looking at them doesn't teach you. The bonus is listening to your accent, I enjoyed listening to you talk.

Hi from Mauritius.Visited Helsinki Vantaa in 2017.

Hi Varpu. I have seen the Aurora many times, but they were whitish, with a tinge of color or gray. They were sparkling ~ it was thrilling. But not being colors my friends said that I was seeing clouds instead of aurora. Thank you for mentioning that they are not always bright colors. Blessings from Northern Illinois, USA

Great video! Some apps/services are actually really useful, but you need to know how to use them. For example the app you're probably talking about is based on the OVATION aurora model, which attempts to predict the probability of auroras directly above any given point. So if your app says the chance is 12%, the chance of seeing aurora at some angle when you look at the sky is a lot higher.

I came to see about the northern lights!! finland fairy woman of my dreams!🙌

We went to Rovaniemi in February last year and LOVED IT so much. Sadly we didn't get to see the aurora, but I guess it means we'll have to go back, maybe even further north once our kids are a bit older ;)

👍 Kiitos paljon!

I saw plenty of Northern Lights in Helsinki last winter (2021).

I'm a Bangladeshi... Thanks for sharing your experience

Great video. Sometimes the best things are the ones that are unplanned. Back in the early 1970's I went on a camping trip with my now husband in Wisconsin (USA). We went out on a pier on the lake to see the Milky Way. Much to our surprise we also were treated to an aurora display. Since we were so far south it was just white and gray. Being unexpected, it was quite a memorable event. Good grief, that was 50 years ago!

i am planning to go to finland by mid of october this year, i hope i can get the chance to see the famous northern lights

I just came back from my trip to Lapland ,and everything what you've said is so true.Let me say ,this was one of my best trips I have ever made in my whole life.Its so so beautiful there.And yes,I was lucky and I saw Aurora ,last night before departure, I was losing all my hope ,and yet there she was .Amazing.Thank you for sharing this video ,information is very accurate.

Big like for your beautiful smile🌺

I’m going with my wife next month to Rovaniemi for our 10 yr anniversary. Hoping to see aurora but I know we’ll have a lovely time even if we don’t. Thanks for the helpful information

Subscribed from Laos 😍

I live in Texas, in the US, it's my absolute dream to go to the northern European countries and see the aurora. I also really love the snow, because we get snow where I live, but not in abundance.

Nice explanation sis. 👍🏻 A subscriber from India 🇮🇳😊

Interesting.

I’m heading to Kilpisjärvi next week. It’s a long trip for me. I am currently in Calabria, Italy.

yes

Great ! Thank you for sharing. I went to Iceland a week ago without sucess for the Northern lights, but amazing to explore the island. Do you suggest a month to try again?

Now you got a indian 🇮🇳. Subscriber 👍

Thank you Varpu! Very nice movie and very good notices what to do and what not. This will help in planning and for the stay there. Is the northern part of Finland much more expensive then the south? I mean for restaurants, car rentals, daily things etc.? Or is it only a small gap? Still thinking going to Lappland or Alaska to see the aurora. Both destinations are interessting, but Ivalo aera f.e. much is closer to Frankfurt with a direct flight to go. Maybe I should start in Finland :-). Merry Christmas to you and all the best for next year. Stay healthy!

Very informative and nicely done. What are the chances to see the aurora in levi ?

Just (April 24th) saw an amazing aurora storm far below Oulu (near joensuu) I guess I’m a very lucky guy 😅

Hi I am from Iran It is very beautiful I wish I could travel here one day It is really enjoyable I was jealous of you because of this🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 It is very pristine and beautiful🤩

AAAAHHH!! THANK YOU ! VARPU HER FINLAND -- WOW OUR FAIRY GODMOTHER !! GOSH ! UNFORTUNATELY, I WOULD NEVER SEE THE BEAUTIFUL NORTHERN LIGHTS !! EXCEPT ON TELEVISION OR MY COMPUTER!!!!!!! FROM U.K. (2021).

Hi, thank you for sharing the best information, can you tell me please, can i drive from helsinki to rovaniemi? if so, how many hours should i drive?

Hi! We are planning to go to Lapland (Rovaniemi and Saariselka) in Mid November! Would love to know if thats a good time and if we will see the northern lights more easily, and if we will find a lot of snow that makes it winter wonderland!

I’m following you in tiktok as well , my Tutor😅