When is the best time to see the northern lights?

The aurora season runs September–April in the north (March–September for the southern lights): you need long, dark nights. Activity peaks around the equinoxes (September and March), and the darkest skies fall around the new moon — so the sweet spot is a new-moon week near an equinox.

Do I have to go far north?

Not necessarily — what matters is corrected geomagnetic latitude, not the map. That's why Yellowknife and Fairbanks (≈62–65°N) see aurora as readily as Tromsø, and why sitting directly under the auroral oval beats raw latitude.

How many nights should I plan?

Three or more. Cloud is the main enemy, and it's the one thing you can't forecast weeks out — so every extra night compounds your chance of catching one clear, dark, active window.

Does the moon really matter?

Yes. A bright moon lights the sky and washes out faint aurora; only strong displays punch through a full moon. Plan around the new moon — the planner already slides your window to the darkest-moon nights of your range.

What is the "mobility edge"?

Kp is a global index, so driving can't raise it — but nearby valleys sit under different weather. Being willing to drive an hour or three buys you independent skies to escape the cloud, which is often the difference between seeing it and not.

Is a high Kp a guarantee?

No — this is an odds engine, never a promise. Even a Kp 9 storm needs a clear, dark sky over your head to be seen. Weeks out we use typical conditions (climatology); within three days, hand off to the live night planner.

Aurora Trip Planner — Chasing Pink

An aurora decision engine — not a booking wizard

Plan the trip with the highest chance of seeing the northern lights.

Six questions. Then: exact darkness and moon for your dates, odds from the live 12-month Kp archive (record since 1932), the best base among 73 watch points, and the darkest-moon window of your month — computed on your device, instantly.

Exact darkness & moonKp odds · 12-mo archiveBest base of 73Darkest-moon windowThe mobility edge

An odds engine, never a guarantee. Weeks-out dates use typical conditions (climatology); the live forecast takes over within 3 days on the night planner.

Or just describe your trip in a sentence

Understood on your device — nothing you type leaves your device, and you confirm everything before it computes.

Reference · read before you plan

How the planner reasonsDarkness, moon, 94 years of Kp, real per-place cloud, the mobility edge

Exact darkness & moon

Sunset, the length of true astronomical darkness and the moon phase are computed exactly for your dates — no darkness, no aurora, and a bright moon washes out all but the strongest displays.

Kp odds from 94 years

Each watch point has a geomagnetic threshold; we read how often the planetary Kp has cleared it from the GFZ record (1932 → today), so the odds are historical fact, not a guess.

Real per-place cloud

Cloud is each spot's own monthly climatology (ERA5), not a flat number — a January night in cloudy Tórshavn is not a March night in dry interior Lapland.

The mobility edge

Kp is planetary — driving can't raise it. What reach buys is independent skies: the chance that at least one sky within your range is clear grows the further you're willing to go.

When to goSeason, equinox peaks, and the new-moon sweet spot

The northern-lights season is September to April; for the southern lights it flips to March–September. Two rhythms stack on top of the season: geomagnetic activity peaks around the equinoxes (the Russell–McPherron effect), and the sky is darkest around the new moon. Chase a new-moon week near an equinox, give yourself several nights, and stay mobile enough to drive out from under the cloud.

All 73 watch pointsEvery base the planner can pick — each linked to its live forecast

Every base the planner can pick, with the geomagnetic Kp it needs. Open any for its own live forecast and historical odds.

Northern Europe

TromsøNorway · Kp 1+
LyngenNorway · Kp 1+
AltaNorway · Kp 1+
Lofoten IslandsNorway · Kp 1+
SenjaNorway · Kp 1+
SkibotnNorway · Kp 1+
SvolværNorway · Kp 2+
Svalbard (Longyearbyen)Norway · Kp 0+
KirkenesNorway · Kp 1+
AbiskoSweden · Kp 1+
KirunaSweden · Kp 2+
KilpisjärviFinland · Kp 1+
RovaniemiFinland · Kp 2+
IvaloFinland · Kp 2+
SaariselkäFinland · Kp 2+
NellimFinland · Kp 2+
InariFinland · Kp 1+
OuluFinland · Kp 3+
ReykjavíkIceland · Kp 2+
AkureyriIceland · Kp 1+
Iceland (countrywide)Iceland · Kp 2+
Murmansk / Kola PeninsulaRussia · Kp 2+
ShetlandUnited Kingdom · Kp 4+
OrkneyUnited Kingdom · Kp 5+
Caithness (north Highlands)United Kingdom · Kp 5+
AberdeenshireUnited Kingdom · Kp 5+
EdinburghUnited Kingdom · Kp 5+
DonegalIreland · Kp 5+
Faroe Islands (Tórshavn)Faroe Islands · Kp 3+
Estonia (Tartu / coast)Estonia · Kp 5+
OsloNorway · Kp 4+
StockholmSweden · Kp 4+
HelsinkiFinland · Kp 4+
CopenhagenDenmark · Kp 5+

Greenland

KangerlussuaqGreenland · Kp 0+
NuukGreenland · Kp 1+
IlulissatGreenland · Kp 0+

South Atlantic

Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands · Kp 9+
South GeorgiaSouth Georgia · Kp 8+

Africa

South Africa (Cape Point / Hermanus)South Africa · Kp 9+

Frequently askedTiming, latitude, the moon, and the mobility edge

When is the best time to see the northern lights?: The aurora season runs September–April in the north (March–September for the southern lights): you need long, dark nights. Activity peaks around the equinoxes (September and March), and the darkest skies fall around the new moon — so the sweet spot is a new-moon week near an equinox.
Do I have to go far north?: Not necessarily — what matters is corrected geomagnetic latitude, not the map. That's why Yellowknife and Fairbanks (≈62–65°N) see aurora as readily as Tromsø, and why sitting directly under the auroral oval beats raw latitude.
How many nights should I plan?: Three or more. Cloud is the main enemy, and it's the one thing you can't forecast weeks out — so every extra night compounds your chance of catching one clear, dark, active window.
Does the moon really matter?: Yes. A bright moon lights the sky and washes out faint aurora; only strong displays punch through a full moon. Plan around the new moon — the planner already slides your window to the darkest-moon nights of your range.
What is the "mobility edge"?: Kp is a global index, so driving can't raise it — but nearby valleys sit under different weather. Being willing to drive an hour or three buys you independent skies to escape the cloud, which is often the difference between seeing it and not.
Is a high Kp a guarantee?: No — this is an odds engine, never a promise. Even a Kp 9 storm needs a clear, dark sky over your head to be seen. Weeks out we use typical conditions (climatology); within three days, hand off to the live night planner.

Related: the live night planner, the location atlas, and the Kp archive. Night planner · Atlas · Kp archive · Forecast

Aurora Trip Planner