How to see the northern lights

1. Go where the aurora happens

The aurora forms in a ring around each magnetic pole called the auroral oval. Under the oval, roughly 65–72° magnetic latitude, some aurora is overhead on most clear, dark nights, even when activity is quiet. Further away you need stronger activity to push the oval towards you.

That is why northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, northern Canada and Alaska are so reliable, while Scotland, Denmark, the Baltic states or the northern United States need an active night. Because the magnetic pole sits on the Canadian side of the Arctic, North America sees the aurora further south than Europe at the same geographic latitude.

Each town page on this site shows the Kp level that place needs and the direction to face. A lower number means more nights with a realistic chance: a town that needs Kp 2 gets far more opportunities than one that needs Kp 5.

2. Pick the right season and dates

The aurora happens all year, but you can only see it when the sky is truly dark. Above the Arctic Circle the midnight sun and bright summer nights rule out roughly mid-April to late August. In the southern hemisphere the season is reversed, with the best months from March to September.

Within the dark season, weather matters more than the calendar. Inland areas with cold, dry winters, such as Finnish Lapland, northern Sweden or Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories, tend to be clear more often than windy coasts. The weeks around the equinoxes in March and September are also slightly more active on average, because of how Earth's magnetic field lines up with the solar wind at that time of year.

Avoid planning a short trip around full moon if you can. A bright moon does not stop a strong display, but it washes out faint aurora and makes the sky feel less dramatic. The best-time tables on each town page show how often each month was dark, active and clear between 2005 and 2025.

3. Stay several nights

One night is a lottery: a single bank of cloud can rule it out regardless of activity. Spreading your chances over three nights roughly doubles or triples the odds compared with one, and five to seven nights give most travellers at least one good display in a well-chosen place.

The trip planner on this site estimates your chances for each destination, month and trip length, using two decades of activity, darkness and cloud data. It is worth checking before you book, because the difference between two nearby towns can be larger than you would expect.

4. Read the forecast on the day

Start the afternoon by comparing tonight's Kp forecast with the Kp your town needs. Then check the cloud forecast for the hours after dark, ideally for low, middle and high cloud separately. Thin high cloud lets bright aurora through; a thick low layer does not.

In the final hour, watch the live solar wind data. A southward Bz (negative values, such as −5 nT or lower) that holds for 15–30 minutes is the clearest sign that a display is about to start, especially if the solar wind speed is above about 500 km/s. The forecast explained guide covers these numbers in more detail.

The Tonight page lists where the aurora could be seen tonight, so you can see at a glance whether your area is in range.

5. Get out of town

Even a small village throws enough light to hide faint aurora. Drive or walk at least a few kilometres away from street lights, ideally to a spot with an open view in the right direction, such as a lake shore, a beach or a hilltop. Each town page suggests roughly where noticeably darker sky begins.

If it is cloudy where you are, check whether it is clearer 30–100 km away. Inland valleys, the lee side of mountains or the other side of a fjord often have breaks when the coast is overcast. Moving to clearer skies is the single most effective thing aurora chasers do.

6. On the night

• Give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt to the dark and avoid bright screens. Use a red torch or the night-vision mode on this site.
• Face the direction shown on the town page and watch low over the horizon first. Away from the oval, the aurora usually appears as a pale, greyish-green arc to the north (to the south in the southern hemisphere).
• Take a test photo if you are unsure. A phone in night mode or a camera on a tripod will often show green or red that your eyes see as grey.
• Be patient. Activity comes in bursts called substorms that last 15–60 minutes, with quiet spells in between. Many displays peak in the hours around local midnight, but they can start soon after dark.
• Dress for standing still in the cold, not for walking. The what-to-wear guide has a full layering list.

Frequently asked questions

What time of night is best to see the northern lights?

Activity can start as soon as it is dark, but in Scandinavia and Iceland the most frequent and brightest displays tend to come between about 21:00 and 02:00 local time, around magnetic midnight. Strong storms can produce aurora at any hour, so if the forecast is good it pays to be outside from early evening and to keep checking until after midnight.

What Kp do I need to see the aurora?

It depends entirely on where you are. Under the auroral oval in northern Norway or Lapland, Kp 1–2 is often enough. Southern Scandinavia and Scotland usually need Kp 4–5, and central Europe or the central United States typically need Kp 6–7 or more. Each town page shows the exact level estimated for that place.

Can I see the aurora from a city?

Only during strong storms, and even then far less of it. City light pollution hides faint aurora completely and turns bright displays into a dull glow. Leaving town by even 10–20 km makes a large difference. In big storms, such as May 2024, people did see it from cities, but the view was much better from the countryside.

How many nights should I plan for?

Plan at least three nights, and five to seven if the aurora is the main reason for your trip. Clouds are the most common reason people miss it, and several nights give you a chance to move between clear spells. The trip planner estimates the odds for your chosen place, month and number of nights.