Iceland – Impressive Northern Lights of Strength 7

Leuchtend grüne Polarlichter über einem Berg in Island

One night we experienced beautiful northern lights; peaks of strength 7 had been forecast. Most of the time, though, the light stayed far south of Iceland and could only be seen on the horizon.

Aurora above us

Now and then it came closer, passed right over our heads and glowed in every colour. At four in the morning we went to bed, the memory cards well filled and a few batteries empty.

Speechless

Once again, speechless.

Aurora in green and violet in the night sky over Iceland — Green with a hint of violet: the aurora starts to take shape in the sky over Iceland.

Powerful bands of aurora over Iceland's south coast — Peaks of strength 7 had been forecast – here the bands glow brightly above the horizon.

Swirl of aurora above the dark horizon — The light curls up like a wave, a strip of green on the horizon beneath it.

Aurora above a mountain at night — Above the dark mountain the rays hang from the sky like curtains.

Arc of aurora and bright green sky above a mountain — An arc sweeps across the sky as the whole horizon glows green.

Green bands of aurora over the mountains near Skógar — A long band stretches across the mountain, the sky glowing bright beneath it.

Veil of aurora directly overhead in Iceland — Every now and then the light came closer and passed right over our heads.

Vertical pillar of aurora above the landscape — A pillar of light rises straight up above the landscape.

Aurora glowing behind a mountain ridge — Behind the ridge it glows as if the sun were about to rise.

Waves of aurora above a dark mountain — Waves of light over the dark mountain – exposure after exposure until the batteries ran flat.

Ring-shaped green aurora above a mountain — A ring of green settles over the mountain, its centre almost white with brightness.

Glowing swirls of aurora in the night sky — The light swirls as if someone were stirring the sky.

Aurora sweeping across the sky in broad bands — The aurora sweeps over the mountain in broad bands, filling half the sky.

Person standing under a glowing aurora — A person, tiny beneath the glowing sky – speechless.

Aurora above a snowy mountain near Skógar — Green veils above the snowy summit, the stars shining through.

Arc of aurora in green and pink above the horizon — Green below, pink above: the arc glows in every colour above the horizon.

Pink and green aurora like a curtain in the sky — Like a curtain of pink and green, the light spreads across the sky.

Aurora above a rocky ridge at night — Two beams to the left and right of the rocky ridge, the stars in between.

Curving aurora in portrait format over Iceland — In portrait format: a band sweeping from the horizon up to the zenith.

Swirling aurora directly above the photographer — Right above us the light twists into a swirl.

Aurora in green and pink in portrait format — Green and pink wind upwards like a ribbon.

Aurora above a mountain with lit houses in front — Above the mountain the light dances, the lit houses in front.

Arc of aurora above a road at night — The road leads off into the night, a green arc spanning the sky above it.

Narrow band of aurora above the horizon near Skógar — Mostly the light stayed far to the south – here just a narrow band above the horizon.

Aurora above a dark mountain ridge near Skógar — A green band above the dark ridge, bright rays shooting upwards beside it.

Green aurora and stars above the horizon at the Jökulsárlón — Stars, the Milky Way and a green strip on the horizon – at four in the morning we went to bed.