Is Aurora Visible

By month

Aurora by month

For the northern lights, the calendar is really a darkness calendar. Long, dark nights are what make the aurora visible — not the weather. The season runs from roughly September to March, peaks around the equinoxes when geomagnetic storms come most often, and effectively closes in June and July, when the midnight sun keeps the far-northern sky too bright to see anything at all. Here is every month, rated.

The aurora year at a glance

Tap any month for a full guide. Greener means darker, better odds.

Season by season

Autumn

September – November

The season reopens and quickly hits its stride: darkness returns, the September equinox brings a real activity boost, and mild nights with unfrozen lakes make for the best all-round conditions of the year.

Winter

December – February

The darkest, longest nights of all — inside the Arctic Circle the aurora can appear from afternoon to dawn. It is the coldest and often cloudiest stretch, so dry, continental spots and heated viewing pay off.

Spring

March – May

March is a peak month — the spring equinox stacks high activity on still-dark nights — but the window then shrinks fast as the far north races toward the midnight sun, and by May it barely gets dark.

Summer

June – August

The off-season up north: around the solstice the sun never sets across the aurora belt, so however strong the storm, there is nothing to see until darkness creeps back at the very end of August.

How to read the ratings

  • ExcellentLong, dark nights — and, near the equinoxes, peak geomagnetic activity. The prime months to travel north.
  • GoodGenuinely dark skies with solid odds, either side of the peak. Comfortable, less crowded viewing.
  • FairA narrow window — dark enough only at the very start or end of the month, or on the southern fringe of the belt.
  • Off-seasonThe midnight sun. The far-northern sky never darkens, so the northern lights are invisible however high the Kp index climbs.

Ratings are for the northern hemisphere (aurora borealis). South of the equator the pattern flips — the southern lights peak in the deep-winter dark of June and July.

Plan the trip

Tours, stays and wheels

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See if the aurora is out right now

The calendar sets your expectations; the live forecast checks tonight's sky — the Kp index, darkness, cloud and the moon for your exact location.

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