Name: How to shoot the northern lights on your phone
Uploaded: 2026-01-14T20:43:04.199Z
Duration: 1 min 34 s
Description: The northern lights can be stunning in person but tricky to capture on camera. Meteorologist Tony Laubach breaks down how to photograph auroras using your phone with easy step-by-step settings.

The northern lights can be stunning in person but tricky to capture on camera. Meteorologist Tony Laubach breaks down how to photograph auroras using your phone with easy step-by-step settings.

Many people find it challenging to photograph the northern lights with their phones, often resulting in dark or grainy images. However, by using specific camera settings and techniques, both Samsung and iPhone users can improve their chances of capturing clear and vibrant aurora photos.

Key recommendations include stabilizing your phone, adjusting ISO and shutter speed on Samsung devices, and maximizing night mode on iPhones. Additional tips such as avoiding zoom, including foreground objects, and keeping your phone warm can further enhance your results.

How to shoot the northern lights on your phone

If you've ever seen the northern lights and pulled out your phone, only to end up with a dark, grainy photo, you're not alone. The good news, your phone can capture the aurora, if you know a few simple tricks. Let's start with the basics. Stability is everything. If you have a tripod, use it. If not, rest your phone on any solid, stable surface, turn off the flash, clean your camera lens and try to focus on the sky, not trees or buildings, and take multiple photos. If you're using a newer Samsung phone, especially a Galaxy S or the Ultra models, you'll want to use Pro mode. Open the camera, swipe to more, then tap Pro. Start with your ISO around 8-1600. If the aurora is faint, you can go higher, but expect more noise. Set your shutter speed between 5 and 10 seconds, and switch focus to manual and set it to infinity. Use a 2 second timer to avoid shaking the phone. On newer iPhones, night mode does most of the work for you. Open the camera app and make sure night mode turns on automatically. Look for the yellow moon icon. Tap the arrow at the top and slide night mode exposure all the way up. Keep live photos turned on if available, and if you have ProRAW, enable it for the best image quality. A few final tips. Avoid zooming. It kills the light. Include something in the foreground for scale, trees, mountains, even your car. Cold drains batteries fast, so keep your phone warm between shots. And remember, if your photo looks better than what you saw with your eye, that's normal. Your phone is using long exposures to reveal light that's already there. For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubach.

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