It was honestly more magical 9 or 10 years ago when I first got here, but I still enjoy it.
It's too bad they aren't easier to plan around. I looked into going to Iceland once and it was like " there might be an aurora." As I recall, it's less of a seasonal thing and more sheer luck. (I know the weather is hard to predict in general.)
I didn't see the lights but fell in love with Iceland. If you really want to see them you have to hunt and chase them! Like tonight Alaska is the place to be!
When were you there last? While I agree with everything else you say, Reykjavik has over the last decade or so unfortunately turned into a city of souvenir shops and tourist trap restaurants. Personally I wouldn't 'budget' more than 24 hours of an Iceland vacation to Reykjavik.
Unfortunately the US will never get to be the utopia that is Iceland in terms of safety and taking care of its citizens so crime doesn't need to be committed. It's too big with half the population just thinking like their parents and grandparents do or did vs. thinking hmm I'm open minded to see how other countries work.
Love Iceland!
P.s. I'm still chasing the lights and had flight to Fairbanks Alaska scheduled last Tuesday to stay for a week. I had made my flight I would've seen them. Got to be nimble ..just got drop whatever and get a way to where it's forecasted to beam and then hope for the best.
I think it's largely due to "weather" on the Sun (although I believe you also need it to be a clear night on Earth in order to be able to see it properly)
On the other hand I've heard the point made that if a clear night sky was as rare as northern lights or an eclipse, people would similarly be freaking out about it as a life-changing almost religious primal experience.
It's very easy to take this stuff for granted, I guess is what I'm saying.
“Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov uses this a premise.
Which of course they are in large cities. And city dwellers often do have such a reaction to a clear night sky in a dark place where you can actually see all the stars.
Last winter I had the good fortune to go for a walk and catching the corona right behind my house (on a side I can't see the sky from inside - due to window placement and trees). Beautiful.
But then I also marvel at a clear starry night...
Aurora
lighting up a cold night
Letting us know
below the horizon
The Sun is shining
8 minutes
one unit away
In the dark
Now I atleast remember the delighted screams of tourists that were taking photos there.
It can’t really be captured om film - and what you see on film is quite different.
I've done a lot of time-lapse of Aurora, which accentuates the moves. These days, however, the ISO and light sensitivity of cameras has gotten so good that you can indeed film the Aurora at regular shutter speeds and still get a really good result. I think we'll see more interesting (and perhaps more scientific) presentations of the phenomena in the future due to that fact. Or one may at least hope!
I am from Interior Alaska. Later in life, I heard this same story from someone from Gambell, Alaska in the Bering Sea. That is when it dawned on me, that if you are outside whistling for too long, someone/something might come and cut off your head. Interior Alaskans and Coastal Alaskans used to kidnap each other with enough regularity to give precedence to such legends.
Just like a solar eclipse, the aurora is one of those celestial phenomena that you really have to experience firsthand, at least once in your life. It's worth the hassle!