Northern Lights
Shetland — Northmavine & West Mainland
At 60°N, Shetland sits closer to the auroral oval than anywhere else on Scottish soil. The aurora is a near-nightly winter occurrence during active solar periods — local residents talk about 'curtains' and 'rays' as casually as the weather. Northmavine (the northern headland) and the Atlantic coast of West Mainland offer the clearest views, with dramatic sea-stack and cliff foregrounds that produce aurora images unlike anywhere else in Britain. The Up Helly Aa fire festival (last Tuesday in January) offers a rare combination of fire and aurora — the torch-lit Viking longship procession under an aurora display is a once-in-a-lifetime image.
Aurora Alert Now: No significant activity
21:22No significant geomagnetic activity. Aurora unlikely tonight.
Quick facts
- Designation
- Exceptional informal dark sky
- Bortle scale
- 2/ 9
- Aurora probability
- Highest aurora probability
- Region
- Shetland
- Grid ref
- HU 293 690
Getting there
Loganair flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow to Sumburgh Airport. Northaven pier (ZE2 9RL) near Hillswick in Northmavine is a good base for the northernmost viewing. Lerwick town has amber street lighting (aurora-friendly) and several B&Bs and hotels. Hire car essential — public transport outside Lerwick is limited.
Postcode: ZE2 9RL
Photography notes
Esha Ness cliffs in Northmavine are the iconic aurora photography location in Shetland — 30m vertical basalt cliffs dropping to a white-water Atlantic below. The cliffs are unfenced — use extreme caution at night. Eshaness Lighthouse (automated) provides a clean foreground subject. For Up Helly Aa: photographers must book the official camera area well in advance through the Lerwick Up Helly Aa Committee.
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 04:40
- Sunset
- 21:25
- Civil dawn
- 03:40
- Civil dusk
- 22:25
NOAA Solar Calculator · 9 May 2026
Common questions
- How often can you see the aurora in Shetland?
- During solar maximum periods (like 2024–2026) and in winter, aurora-visible nights occur multiple times per month at Kp3+. In a typical active winter you can realistically expect 10–15 aurora nights per season in Shetland. Cloud is the main obstacle — Shetland's maritime climate means clear nights are valuable when they come.
- What is Up Helly Aa?
- A fire festival held in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January, revived in the Victorian era as a celebration of Shetland's Norse heritage. Hundreds of Guizers in Viking costumes parade a replica longship through the streets before torching it in a massive bonfire. When the aurora fires above the flames, the result is extraordinary.
Seen the lights here?
Share your experience of Shetland — Northmavine & West Mainland to help other aurora hunters.