How to photograph the aurora with a phone
Modern phones are surprisingly good at the aurora. Their sensors pick up colour your eyes can't see in the dark, which is why a faint grey glow overhead can show up green and purple on the screen. A few habits make the difference between a blurry smudge and a photo worth keeping.
1. Keep the phone still
Aurora photos need exposures of several seconds, and no hand is steady enough. Use a small tripod with a phone clamp, or prop the phone against a rock, a car roof or a fence post. Use the self-timer (3 or 10 seconds) so tapping the shutter doesn't shake it.
2. Use night mode, or the manual (Pro) mode
- Night mode works well on recent iPhones and Android phones. On a tripod, many phones offer a longer exposure than handheld; let it run the full time.
- Pro / manual mode gives more control. A good starting point:
| Setting | Starting value | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Shutter | 3-5 seconds | Shorter if the aurora is bright and moving fast |
| ISO | 800-1600 | Lower if the picture is grainy and bright enough |
| Focus | Manual, at infinity | Check by zooming into a star on the preview |
| White balance | About 3500-4000 K | Keeps the sky from looking orange |
3. Turn off the flash and dim your screen
The flash only lights up the foreground a few metres away. Turn screen brightness down to keep your night vision and avoid annoying others.
4. Compose with something on the ground
A tree line, a lake, a cabin or a person standing still for the exposure turns a green sky into a picture. Keep the horizon low in the frame when the aurora is low in the north.
5. Take lots, then choose
The aurora changes shape every few seconds. Take a photo every minute when it's active and pick the best later. Short exposures freeze fast-moving curtains; longer ones smooth them.
6. Look after the phone
Cold drains batteries fast. Keep a spare power bank in an inside pocket and swap the phone into a warm pocket between bursts.
What to expect from the colours
Green comes from oxygen around 100-250 km up and is the most common. Red can appear at higher altitudes in strong storms; purple and pink edges come from nitrogen. Your photo will usually look more colourful than what you saw, and that's normal - it isn't a filter.
Check tonight's live Kp before you head out.