Capturing the aurora is a balancing act between three camera settings — ISO, shutter speed and aperture — that together decide how much light reaches the sensor, and a fourth variable, focus, that decides whether that light lands sharp. This lab renders a live 3D night sky with a moving aurora and a starfield so you can see how each setting changes the resulting "photograph" in real time.
From the UK, the aurora is usually only bright enough to see with the naked eye during a strong geomagnetic storm — but a camera's long exposure gathers far more light than your eye can, which is why a faint green smudge on the horizon can turn into vivid curtains of colour in a 10-second photograph.
An interactive 3D camera lab that shows how ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus combine to turn a faint night sky into a bright aurora photograph — or ruin the shot.
Exposure is the product of ISO, shutter time and aperture; the simulation applies the same relationship to a live rendered scene, while long shutter speeds visibly trail the stars and near-focus blurs the whole frame.
Adjust ISO, shutter speed and aperture and watch the exposure verdict update live. Switch the aurora's Kp activity level and toggle focus between infinity and a near object to see the classic focusing mistake.
A camera sensor integrating light for 10–15 seconds can reveal aurora colour invisible to the naked eye — which is why phone night mode and long-exposure cameras often "see" the aurora before you do.