Words by

Andie Sophia Fontaine

Photo by

Garðar Ólafsson

Last night, northern lights came to Iceland a bit earlier than usual, and in a spectacular state of activity, catching the entire country by surprise.

While the northern lights are one of the staple elements that make Iceland famous, it is fairly uncommon for them to appear so early – let alone at such incredible levels of detail and activity.

If you are heading into the countryside, where northern lights can be best seen, be sure to check the Icelandic Met Office’s handy aurora forecasts page to gauge your chances.

An HD video of last night’s northern lights, taken near Hótel Rangá, can be seen here, or you can watch the video below for a shot of the lights from another location.