Northern lights — the green curtains of the sky
The northern lights are one of nature's most spectacular shows. From Nordmøre you can see them on clear winter nights when the sun is active and the sky is dark.
📅 23. May 2026
What are the northern lights?
The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, occur when electrically charged particles from the sun interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere. This happens at altitudes of 100 to 300 kilometres, where the atmosphere is so thin that particles can move freely and collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules.
The colours
The colour of the northern lights depends on which gas the particles collide with and at what altitude. The most common aurora is green, caused by oxygen at 100 to 150 kilometres altitude. At greater heights (above 200 km), oxygen produces red light. Blue and purple auroras are caused by nitrogen and are rarer and harder to see with the naked eye.
The solar factor
The northern lights are directly linked to solar activity. The sun continuously emits a stream of charged particles — the solar wind — but during solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the volume increases dramatically. These storms can push the aurora far southward, and from Nordmøre (63°N), northern lights are a fairly common sight during active periods.
The sunspot cycle
The sun's activity follows an 11-year cycle. During solar maximum, the chances of seeing northern lights are greatest. We are currently in a very active period (solar cycle 25), which has produced exceptional aurora displays at lower latitudes than usual — even in central Europe.
When and where to see northern lights from Nordmøre?
The best conditions are: dark sky (new moon, no clouds), high Kp index (above 3–4 for our latitude), and face north. Kvisvik (63°N) lies within what is known as the subarctic zone, and strong auroras can reach us regularly. Apps like Space Weather Live or alerts from spaceweather.com provide good advance warning.
Photography
Northern lights can be photographed with an ordinary camera on a tripod. Use ISO 800–3200, aperture f/2.8 or wider, and shutter speed 5–15 seconds. Focus manually at infinity. The best images are taken in locations free from light pollution — such as Kvisvik itself.