Northern Lights Tours in Icelandic Summer Thanks to New Technology

Aurora Viking is proud to announce a historic breakthrough for Icelandic tourism: Northern Lights tours during the midnight sun.

For generations, summer visitors have faced one irritating technical problem. The aurora may still be active above Iceland, but the bright summer sky makes it impossible to see. Until now, the tourism industry has simply accepted this outrageous behaviour from the Sun.

Introducing the Aurora Viking Darkness Projector

After several minutes of research and an amount of engineering that cannot be disclosed for reasons of national security, Aurora Viking has developed the world’s first mobile darkness projector.

Using experimental anti-daylight technology, advanced infrared darkness particles and a very serious-looking control panel, the device creates a temporary pocket of night beneath Iceland’s midnight sun. Guests can therefore experience green, purple and red aurora while the rest of the country remains inconveniently illuminated.

How does the darkness projector work?

• The system measures the exact brightness of the summer sky.

• A proprietary algorithm calculates how much darkness is missing.

• The projector emits an equal and opposite quantity of daylight.

• The resulting artificial night reveals the aurora above the tour group.

The scientific principle is similar to noise-cancelling headphones, except for sunlight, the upper atmosphere and several laws of physics.

A completely normal Icelandic summer experience

The new tour combines all the advantages of an Icelandic summer holiday with the atmosphere of a winter aurora hunt. Guests can enjoy waterfalls, green landscapes and the midnight sun before stepping directly into a carefully projected bubble of darkness.

Professional photographs will naturally be included. Our guide-photographers have been instructed not to question the technology, stare directly into the darkness generator or place hot chocolate on its quantum cooling vents.

Important operating information

• The darkness radius may vary according to solar brightness, wind direction and how confidently the guide presses the button.

• Sunglasses are not a substitute for projected night.

• The device cannot be used near puffins, which become confused by sudden changes in office hours.

• Aurora activity remains natural; only the darkness is locally manufactured.

• If the projector accidentally creates winter, guests will be returned to Reykjavík when the roads reopen.

A new era for Northern Lights tourism

For too long, visitors have been forced to choose between Iceland’s bright summer nights and visible Northern Lights. Aurora Viking’s darkness projector finally gives travellers both—assuming nobody from the scientific community asks to inspect it too closely.

April Fools!

Yes, this article is an April Fools joke. Aurora Viking originally published it on 1 April 2025. The darkness projector does not exist, infrared technology cannot remove daylight, and we do not operate Northern Lights tours beneath Iceland’s midnight sun.

The real answer: can you see the Northern Lights in Iceland during summer?

Auroral activity can occur throughout the year, but the Northern Lights must be viewed against a dark enough sky. Iceland’s summer nights remain too bright for normal aurora viewing. Technology can photograph faint light more effectively than human eyes, but an ordinary camera cannot turn full summer daylight into a genuine visible aurora experience.

Aurora Viking’s practical Northern Lights season runs from September through April, when Iceland has enough darkness. Even then, a visible display still requires usable sky and auroral activity; no date or tour can guarantee it.

For real planning information, read our guide to Iceland as a Northern Lights destination, check the live Iceland Northern Lights forecast, or see our small-group Northern Lights tour from Reykjavík.

NOAA’s official aurora-viewing guidance also explains the essential point: aurora may be present at high latitudes in summer, but it is visible only when the sky is dark.

Joke reviewed—and projector still fictional—23 September 2026.