The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis are a natural wonder that paint the night sky with shimmering colours, helping to create a beautiful image.

Naturally, people in the UK who are lucky enough to be able to see the Northern Lights from where they live want to be able to take a picture of them.

However, this is not as easy as it sounds, especially due to light pollution making it tricky for the full majesty of the lights to come across in photos.

For those who are amateur photographers an account called 'two_auroras' on the social media site Threads has shared some tips on how to capture photos of the Aurora Borealis.



The full explanation of the steps can be seen on the Threads page here.

How to take a photo of the Northern Lights

The first step the account recommends is to go to a dark area away from the light pollution a city or town emits.

Once you are in a location like this, open your iPhone camera and set it to photo mode.

There should be an arrow at the top of the screen, which can be used to access more camera settings.

The user adds: "Enable night mode. As seen in your images, make sure the Night Mode icon (circled in red) is activated. This is the icon with a crescent moon and timer (3s by default). The Night Mode icon ensures that the iPhone uses longer exposure to capture more light from the dim aurora, making it visible in the shot."

After that, you can adjust the exposure time to a maximum of 10 seconds if you are controlling the iPhone using your hand.

For the best results, also use a tripod which can enable the time exposure to a maximum of 30 seconds.

"A tripod will prevent blurry images and ensure sharp, beautiful shots of the aurora," the user explains.


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In terms of additional tips, the user suggests: "Turn ON Raw max which can enable you to edit your Aurora pics efficiently.

"Focus manually- Tap the screen where you want to focus and lock the screen.

"Use a Self timer ⏲️- The self-timer can minimize camera shake when you press the shutter. Set it to 3 or 10 seconds to ensure your phone remains steady after tapping the capture button."