Camera Shake is the Devil
Right now, the season the see the Northern lights is upon us. I've seen them on three separate trips and I can tell you that they are uh-mazing.
They are a part of the natural world and never cease to amaze me. Hunting and capturing them on camera has become a passion of mine.
Disclaimer. I am not a professional anything. I can only tell you have to get the results I have. Many people have much better photos of the celestial phenomenon than I do, but I can at least get you to somewhere close to where I am.
The first thing you need is a camera. I've used three separate cameras for my aurora photography, but they have all had the same basic capabilities.
Usually, the Northern lights are very dim. In order to capture the light and get a correct exposure with little noise, a camera that can do long exposure is a must. If you don't have a camera that can do long exposure, you will have to depend on raising the ISO and creating a very noisy image with a lot of grain.
Because you want to have a long exposure, you'll want to minimize camera shake. Placing the camera on a tripod and having some type of remote shutter trigger will be where you want to be. The ideal situation involves a camera, a tripod and an intervalometer that will trigger the shutter automatically and set intervals.
Between my latest adventure involving the aurora and the one before it, I upgraded my camera to a Canon 70D from a Canon T2i. The Canon 70D includes wifi and an app for interval shooting. I was able to sit in the warmth of the car and get images every few seconds. I was also able to make any of the shooting adjustments from the cushy comfort and avoid the harsh winter environment.
The other thing you want your camera to do is focus on the northern lights. There is are things that surpass taking blurry photos in terms of evil. I just can't think of any right now. The best thing I can think of is acquiring a lens or a camera that can focus on infinity.
Most cameras have autofocus and autofocus needs two things. Actually, it's more like it needs two of the same thing. Light and contrast. Without these two things, autofocus would not work. If you have a camera that can manually focus on infinity, the rest is easy.
In my experience, the best lenses are good and wide like an 8mm prime or 10 - 24 mm lens. The auroras are in the sky and are huge. With a good wide angle lens, you can capture as much of the glowing sky as possible.
I'm sure there are actual tutorials for capturing the awe that is the Aurora Borealis or the Aurora Australis, if you are in the southern hemisphere. But, this is a good basic set to build upon. Experiment, experiment, experiment and you will get the goods!