Aurora Reykjavík — The Northern Lights Centre

Background

History & Background

The Northern Lights have been recorded in Iceland since the first settlers arrived in 874 AD. Norse mythology offered multiple explanations: reflections from the shields of the Valkyries, the Bifröst bridge between the worlds, or the dead dancing. In the 19th century science began to explain the phenomenon as charged particles from solar wind interacting with Earth's magnetosphere — a process that still produces the same wonder.

Aurora Reykjavík opened in 2011 and has become one of the Old Harbour's most-visited attractions, drawing visitors who want to understand the phenomenon they came to Iceland to see — or who missed the lights entirely. The self-guided tour moves from the science (solar activity, the magnetosphere, why Iceland is a prime viewing location) through mythology (every Northern Lights tradition from Norse to Indigenous Greenlandic) to art and contemporary photography. Over 100 photographs by Icelandic aurora photographers are on display. The simulation room, the centrepiece of the experience, uses 360-degree projection to surround visitors in a recreated aurora display, including sound design based on field recordings from Northern Iceland. It gives a genuine sense of the scale and beauty of the lights even if the real thing remains elusive.