Chasing the Northern Lights: An Arctic adventure

Before I set foot on the Hurtigruten ship, I spoke with Tom Kerss, Chief Aurora Chaser, about what to expect. With a background in astronomy and years spent guiding travellers to the Arctic, Tom is as close to a Northern Lights guru as it gets. His advice ranged from practical tips to philosophical reflections on why the aurora is so awe-inspiring.

“Well, Norway can have challenging weather,” he told me. “Sometimes you’re sailing for a night, and it’s literally like you’re in a blizzard. But then, when the skies break, and it’s crystal clear, and the Northern Lights are exploding… it’s transformational. People come down the next morning just absolutely in awe, really moved by what they’ve seen.”

Armed with his guidance, I set off to experience it for myself with a camera, plenty of layers and my partner in tow.

Top 5 tips for seeing the Northern Lights according to an expert

Meet The World’s First Chief Aurora Chaser - YouTube

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1. Persevere Through the Cold: The Arctic is chilly, but the auroras are worth it. Stay outside long enough to catch the full display.
2. Dress in the Right Layers: Thermal base, wool mid-layer, windproof (and ideally waterproof) outer layer. Quality beats quantity.
3. Look with Your Eyes, Not Just Your Camera: Photos are great, but the real magic is in seeing the aurora firsthand. Let your eyes adjust to the dark.
4. Be Patient with Timing: The aurora can start faintly and build slowly. Watch for the auroral oval overhead and stay alert for dynamic changes.
5. Respect the Silence and Sensory Experience: Listen to the Arctic around you, absorb the subtle colours, and enjoy the moment fully. It’s a memory that lasts longer than any photo.

Experiencing the Arctic night

We boarded the ship in Tromsø, one of the northernmost parts of the cruise, a place where the sun has not shone since late November, and the Northern Lights are all but guaranteed. That evening, after a safety demonstration that highlighted the sound made on the ship when the Northern Lights are spotted, they appeared. We were sitting in the bar at this point, not expecting them to appear quite so promptly, but we rushed to the deck to see what all the fuss was about.

There they were, clearly visible to the naked eye, bright enough to take away from the crisp, bitter cold surrounding us and cutting through the dark winter sky.

Tom had prepared me for a surprise. “When you see pictures of the lights, and you’ve never seen them before, you might expect them to be extraordinarily vibrant, bright green, red, pink. But your eyes work differently. At night, your vision shifts to night-mode, mostly grayscale. So the colours are subtler, more delicate. Pale green, soft scarlet — but the way it moves, the glow itself, that’s what makes it so breathtaking.”

While my camera captured vivid streaks of green and pink, nothing compared to the real spectacle, the movement, the self-luminous glow, the way it seemed to float above the deck. “The aurora impresses itself on your retina,” Tom explained. “That felt impression is something you can only experience in person. Photos are fun, but the memory is deeper, more personal.”

Science, history, and mythology

Part of the magic of chasing the aurora is its story. Tom loves blending science, history, and mythology. “Humans have been looking at the sky for tens of thousands of years,” he said. “Even the oldest star charts we’ve found are around 70,000 years old. It’s only in the last couple of centuries that urbanisation and electric light have cut us off from the sky.”

He shared examples from early scientific observations, like Galileo’s misinterpretation that the aurora was sunlight reflecting off clouds, and how centuries of assumptions slowed progress. But the aurora is also deeply human, tied to storytelling and culture.

On our trip, I had the privilege of hearing Sami narrators explain the spiritual significance of the lights, explaining what it means to their culture and people. “The Northern Lights are unpredictable, artistic, and deeply human,” Tom said. “They offer something for everyone: proper nerds, artistic souls, or anyone who just wants to feel awe.”

Tips from a Chief Aurora Chaser

Tom’s practical wisdom was invaluable. “Perseverance is key,” he said. “Even the slightest breeze in the Arctic can bite, but that’s part of the experience. The auroras are dynamic. They might appear fleetingly and then explode across the sky. If you go back inside too soon, you’ll miss it.”

He recommended dressing in layers: “It’s not about having lots of layers. It’s about having the right layers. Thermal base, wool mid-layer, windproof outer layer. Add a waterproof jacket if you can. That’s all you need to stay comfortable in sub-zero conditions.”

Photography was another area he emphasised. “Take a few photos, absolutely,” Tom said, “but put the phone away. Let your eyes adjust. Experience it. That memory will last longer than any picture. The aurora is self-luminous, and your eyes perceive motion and depth in a way cameras cannot. Those are the moments you carry forever.”

Timing is also part of the challenge and beauty. “Even in the Arctic, the auroras don’t appear uniformly. You need to know when the auroral oval is overhead. Sometimes you’ll see a faint glow first, and it can take minutes for energy to build and produce the dynamic, dancing displays.”

A bucket list moment

Despite the science, physics, and forecasting, the aurora remains a deeply personal experience. On the deck, watching the colours shift above, I felt a mix of awe, excitement, and humility. “The Northern Lights have something for everyone,” Tom said. “Scientists can study the currents and substorms, artists can marvel at the colours, and anyone can simply be awestruck. That’s the beauty of it.”

Eventually, the lights faded, leaving the Arctic night quiet once more. But the memory remains, the cold air, the wind tussling my hair, the soft colours dancing above, the Sami stories, and the sense of witnessing one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles. Thanks to Tom’s guidance, the preparation felt meaningful, and the experience itself was richer for it.

We sailed the North Cape Line from Tromsø down to Oslo over nine unforgettable days aboard Hurtigruten’s Trollfjord, soaking in the Arctic landscapes and chasing the Northern Lights along the way.

“The aurora is unpredictable, delicate, and transformative,” Tom told me before my trip. Experiencing it firsthand, I can confirm he wasn’t exaggerating. And while I captured vibrant photographs, the real treasure was simply standing there, with my partner beside me, under the Arctic sky, watching nature’s artistry unfold.

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