The Tool Desk
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Can your phone photograph the northern lights?
Many recent phones can record an aurora, especially when the display is bright and the sky is dark. The camera may show color and structure that are subtle to your eyes. It can also produce a disappointing image: a moving aurora may blur during a long exposure, a bright moon or city may wash out detail, and some phones do not offer enough exposure control for difficult conditions.
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NASA’s guidance is practical rather than absolute: use the phone’s Night mode when available, or manual controls if your camera app provides them. Keep the phone steady, focus at a distant point, begin with an exposure of a few seconds, and inspect a test photograph before changing settings. NASA’s phone-specific starting suggestion is approximately ISO 800 and five seconds in manual mode. A NASA example made with a Samsung Note 8 used Pro mode, a tripod, 10 seconds and ISO 800 near Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, on March 20, 2020; that is a documented example, not a guarantee for every phone or aurora.
For an unusual comparison, NASA also captions an aurora photograph made through an aircraft window with a Google Pixel 4 at around 35,000 feet and an exposure of about two minutes. That exceptional situation should not be treated as a normal handheld-phone recommendation.
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Read the result as a camera interpretation, not a perfect record of what you saw. NASA notes that an aurora often looks different in a photograph than it does to the naked eye. Your phone’s processing may brighten shadows, alter color or combine several frames.
Primary guidance: NASA’s Guide to Finding and Photographing Auroras and NASA’s Astrophotography With Your Smartphone.
Plan the outing before opening the camera
Choose a safe, dark viewing place
Find a location with a clear sky and a safe place to stand. From mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, an unobstructed view toward the north can help. Darkness generally makes faint aurora easier to record, although NASA says strong displays can also be visible from cities. Do not trade safety for a darker foreground: use a secure surface, stay away from traffic and unstable edges, and make sure you can handle the cold while waiting.
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Check the sky and alerts
Clouds can hide an active display, so a clear forecast matters as much as auroral activity. Displays change in brightness and duration; a quiet sky when you arrive can become active later, and a bright display can fade quickly. NASA’s Aurorasaurus resource provides aurora alerts and a way to report observations. Treat alerts as planning information, not a promise that a particular location will have visible lights.
Learn your camera app at home
Before leaving, locate Night mode, the timer and any manual or Pro mode. Menus and names differ by phone. Check whether the app lets you set shutter speed, ISO, focus or white balance, and whether it keeps those settings after you change lenses. If your phone has no manual mode, Night mode is still a useful starting point.
Pack for steadiness, power and cold
- Tripod or mount: A small smartphone tripod is ideal for low-light exposures. A phone mount must grip the device securely and remain stable in wind.
- Improvised support: A stable rock, block or other secured surface can replace a tripod. The phone must not slide, tip or vibrate when you press the shutter.
- Timer or remote shutter: A two- or ten-second timer prevents your finger from shaking the phone. Use a remote shutter option if your camera supports one.
- Portable battery pack: A power bank is useful during a long wait. Cold drains phone batteries faster, so keep the phone and spare battery as warm as practical.
- Warm clothing: NASA’s packing guidance includes warm layers and a blanket. You need to remain comfortable enough to wait without repeatedly handling the phone with numb hands.
- Red headlight: A red light helps you work without flooding the scene with white light and is included in NASA’s aurora packing list.
A tripod is helpful, not mandatory. The deciding factor is stability during the exposure; a carefully secured support can work just as well for a stationary composition.
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Night mode or manual mode?
Use the simplest mode that gives you a sharp, adequately bright test image. Night mode may automatically combine several frames and select an exposure. Manual mode gives you more control, but it also makes you responsible for balancing brightness, noise and motion blur.
| Choice | What you control | Best starting point | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night mode | The phone chooses exposure and processing; you generally control framing, focus and the timer. | Enable Night mode, brace the phone, trigger the timer and inspect the result. | The phone may choose a long multi-frame exposure that smears a rapidly moving aurora. |
| Manual or Pro mode | Often shutter speed, ISO and sometimes focus; available controls vary by model. | About five seconds at ISO 800, then adjust one setting at a time. | Too much ISO creates grain; too long an exposure records motion as blur. |
These settings are starting values, not a universal recipe. NASA’s broader smartphone advice describes a few seconds as a useful initial exposure, while its aurora guide gives approximately five seconds and ISO 800 for manual shooting. The correct choice depends on how bright and fast the display is, how much light pollution surrounds you and what your phone’s sensor and software can handle.
Step-by-step: photograph the aurora with your phone
- Set up the support. Attach the phone to a small tripod or place it on a stable, secured object. Check that the camera lens is not blocked by the mount or a case edge. In wind, lower the tripod and shield it without touching the phone during the exposure.
- Compose before fine-tuning. Include a little foreground—such as a tree line, building or landscape—if you want scale. Keep the horizon level and leave room for the aurora to fill the upper frame. Use the widest suitable camera view, but avoid switching to a lens that is significantly darker if your phone offers multiple cameras.
- Turn on the timer. Select the camera timer or a remote shutter. A delayed release lets vibrations settle after you tap the screen.
- Start in Night mode. Let the phone offer its initial exposure, take one photograph and review it at full size. Do not assume the preview is sharp just because the image looks bright at thumbnail size.
- Switch to manual mode when useful. If Night mode produces excessive blur or you need a repeatable exposure, choose manual or Pro mode. Begin near five seconds and ISO 800. If your app uses different terminology, choose the closest shutter-time and sensitivity controls it provides.
- Focus on a distant point. Tap a distant star or light. If the app allows focus lock, lock it after the distant subject appears sharp. Do not focus on your fingertip, nearby tripod or the phone’s default close distance. NASA specifically recommends a distant star or light for focus and lock where possible.
- Make a test exposure. Take one photograph, wait for processing to finish and inspect stars, foreground edges and the aurora’s shape. Change one control at a time so you know which adjustment helped.
- Adjust for movement. If ribbons or rays look stretched and indistinct, shorten the exposure. A shorter shutter time preserves moving structure but may require more ISO or a brighter display. If the image is dark and the aurora is relatively still, lengthen the exposure modestly or raise ISO.
- Control noise. Avoid raising ISO farther than necessary. Higher sensitivity can brighten the frame while making it grainier and reducing fine detail. Prefer the lowest ISO that produces a usable exposure after you have chosen a shutter time that does not smear the display.
- Repeat several frames. Aurora brightness changes from moment to moment. Keep the phone fixed and capture a sequence with the same settings, then try a second sequence after a deliberate adjustment.
How to adjust settings when the first image fails
The picture is black or much too dim
- Confirm that the lens is uncovered and Night mode or the intended manual mode is active.
- Use a slightly longer exposure if the aurora is not moving quickly.
- Raise ISO in small steps rather than jumping immediately to the highest value.
- Move away from unnecessary light sources and wait for a brighter part of the display.
A dark image is not evidence that the aurora was absent; the phone may simply have received too little light during the selected exposure.
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The aurora is smeared
- Shorten the shutter time, especially when rays or bands are changing quickly.
- Make sure the tripod, mount or improvised support is not vibrating.
- Use the timer again and avoid touching the setup until processing finishes.
- Check whether Night mode is combining frames for longer than the moving display can tolerate; manual mode may give you a shorter, single exposure.
The stars and foreground are soft
- Tap a distant star or light and lock focus if available.
- Clean the lens carefully; fingerprints scatter light and reduce contrast.
- Check the image at full size rather than relying on the small preview.
- Do not move the phone between focus and exposure.
The image is bright but noisy
- Reduce ISO if you can keep enough brightness with a suitable exposure time.
- Use a darker location when safe to do so.
- Take several frames; one may contain cleaner detail as the display brightens.
- Avoid aggressive digital zoom, which enlarges noise and usually discards the benefit of the phone’s widest lens.
The color looks unlike what you saw
Phone software may brighten or recolor a dark scene, and the eye adapts differently in low light. Compare the photograph with your memory cautiously. NASA’s warning that an aurora can look different in a photo than to the naked eye is especially important when judging green, red or purple tones.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Balancing motion, brightness and noise
Every aurora exposure is a compromise. More time lets the sensor collect more light, but it also records more movement. More ISO makes a dark frame brighter, but it generally increases visible grain. A phone’s Night mode may improve brightness by combining frames, yet moving light can become less defined.
Use this order when refining a shot:
- Secure the phone and confirm focus.
- Choose a shutter time short enough to preserve the aurora’s shape.
- Use the lowest ISO that still gives a readable sky and foreground.
- Only then consider a longer exposure for a faint, relatively steady display.
Take notes mentally or in the camera app’s metadata about each change. Deliberate one-variable adjustments are more useful than changing shutter speed and ISO simultaneously.
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What the documented NASA examples do—and do not—prove
The Samsung Note 8 series near Great Slave Lake demonstrates that a phone can make aurora photographs with a tripod, 10 seconds and ISO 800 in Pro mode. It does not establish that 10 seconds is optimal for your phone, location or night. NASA’s Pixel 4 aircraft-window image, made at around 35,000 feet with an exposure of about two minutes, shows what can be possible under an unusual, highly stable viewpoint; it is not a general setting for ground-based photography.
These examples are useful as reference points because they show the scale of settings involved, while the test-image approach remains essential for your own conditions.
Cold-weather and handling precautions
Cold can reduce battery life quickly. Start with a full charge, carry a portable battery pack and keep batteries warm rather than leaving a spare exposed in the snow. Store the phone where it is protected from moisture, and avoid sudden temperature changes that can create condensation when you bring it indoors. Keep both hands and footing secure while adjusting the camera; a perfectly exposed photograph is not worth an unsafe position.
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Further guidance and planning resources
NASA’s detailed phone instructions cover steadiness, timer use, focus and exposure in Astrophotography With Your Smartphone. Its aurora-specific planning and packing advice is in NASA’s Guide to Finding and Photographing Auroras. For general viewing conditions, NASA’s expert guidance, updated March 26, 2025, is available at How Can I See the Northern Lights? We Asked a NASA Expert.
NASA also lists a Guide to Smartphone Astronomy. The listing identifies it as an educational resource; current physical-book retail availability is not established here.
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