Night skies in Norway during Mid-summer

[David Mallott]

Hello all,

Here's a question for anyone who's been to Norway in the middle of summer. I'm currently planning to go on a 14 day Norway cruise which will take in Svalbard and includes the summer solstice. In other words, the sun (should we be lucky enough to have any, will be at its highest). I would think that I will be in some 'dark sky' areas, so I will take my 8-25mm and my my Panasonic 9mm lenses in the hope that I might be able to take some astro shots. The question is, will the nights be dark enough that the stars/Milky Way will be visible?

TIA,
David

[rchammer]

Hi David, I don’t have any direct experience but in Svalbard the sun doesn’t set from mid-April to mid-August so there won’t actually be any “night” when you’re there. Further south the period of the midnight sun shortens but at the summer solstice you will have to be below the arctic circle for the sun to go below the horizon and even then the sky will be quite light.

Hopefully someone with more than theoretical experience will come along and advise.

I’m going to Norway in April and, whilst not into astro photography, I am looking forward to the wonderful scenery. I hope you enjoy your trip!

[BDennis]

Hi David

I haven’t been to Norway but I don’t think you’ll get dark skies for astrophotography close to or north of the arctic circle in midsummer. You will have midnight sun at Svalbard in June. Maybe the low sun will make some interesting light for photography though. We’ve been to Iceland in the summer and I was thankful for blackout curtains in our room.

I’ve been to Scotland midsummer and it was constant twilight through the night. I gave up on the idea of astro shots and tried for the moon reflected on a loch with the twilight sky but the midges drove me inside!

Bill