Aurora expert captures rare pulsating northern lights in remarkable detail: 'One of the most profound sightings of my career'

When Tom Kerss, chief aurora chaser for the Norwegian coastal voyage operator Hurtigruten, was looking back through footage from his latest season of northern lights voyages, he stumbled upon something truly remarkable. "I've been chasing the Northern Lights for more than 18 years, and this occurrence is one of the most profound sightings of my career and the most memorable night of aurora-chasing I've experienced," Kerss said in an emailed statement. Typical pulsating aurora displays last 10 to 20 minutes, but Kerss had captured almost three hours of extreme pulsating auroras — an unusually powerful display and one of the longest on record, according to the statement. The northern lights display captured by Tom Kerss during a voyage aboard Hurtigruten's MS Trollfjord in February 2026. (Image credit: Hurtigruten) "Even to the naked eye, it was clear something exceptional was happening, with visible pulses and shifting colour," Kerss explained. "The display lasted for hours, flashing pink and green long after midnight." He captured the jaw-dropping display in real time using a Sony A7S camera and 14mm F1.4 lens onboard Hurtigruten's MS Trollfjord during an intense geomagnetic storm on Feb. 22, 2026. An aurora corona appearing overhead, captured by Tom Kerss during a voyage aboard Hurtigruten's MS Trollfjord in February 2026. (Image credit: Hurtigruten) Pulsating auroras are not particularly rare. …