The Aurora Season — Why Timing Matters — Aurora Guide
The Aurora Season — Why Timing Matters
The aurora doesn't disappear in summer — the Sun is just as active. But you can't see something that glows in the dark if the sky is still lit. At high Arctic latitudes, the summer sun barely sets at all. You need a truly dark sky.
There are three types of night to know about:
Astronomical darkness
Sun is more than 18° below the horizon. Sky is pitch black. Perfect for aurora. This is what "true night" means at high latitudes — and it disappears in summer.
Nautical twilight
Sun is 12–18° below the horizon. Sky is dim — you can see the horizon but not stars easily. Aurora is possible but washed out. Typical of early autumn and late spring.
Midnight sun
The sun never fully sets — the sky stays blue or glowing orange all night. No aurora is visible, no matter how strong the storm. Peak summer at all Arctic destinations.
Aurora Season by Destination
DestinationJFMAMJJASOND
🇳🇴 Longyearbyen (78°N)★★◐×××××◐★★★
🇳🇴 Tromsø / Alta (70°N)★★●◐×××◐★★★★
🇷🇺 Murmansk (69°N)★★●◐×××◐★★★★
🇸🇪 Abisko / Kiruna (68°N)★★●◐×××◐●★★★
🇫🇮 Rovaniemi / Levi (67°N)★★●◐×××◐●★★★
🇮🇸 Reykjavík / Akureyri (65°N)★★●◐×××◐●★★★
🇺🇸 Fairbanks (65°N)★★●◐×××◐●★★★
🇫🇴 Tórshavn (62°N)★★●◐◐◐◐◐●★★★
🇨🇦 Yellowknife / Churchill★★●◐×××◐●★★★
🏴 Inverness (57°N)★★●●◐◐◐●●★★★
★ Great — full dark nights● OK — short dark window◐ Poor — twilight only× No — midnight sun
🌑 Bonus: polar night — In December and January at Longyearbyen (Svalbard, 78°N), the sun doesn't rise at all for months. The sky is dark all day, giving you 24 hours of aurora-watching potential whenever the solar conditions are right.
Check tonight's aurora forecast