Northern lights Selfoss tonight
Selfoss sits at ~64°N magnetic latitude, 55 km from Reykjavik on Iceland's south coast. Kp 3 is the threshold from dark farmland nearby. Þingvellir and Kerið crater give the best foregrounds. Best season: September to April.
Aurora visibility - Selfoss
Unlikely tonight
Kp 1 is well below the Kp 3 threshold needed for aurora to be visible from Selfoss.
Current Kp
1
of 9
7-day outlook for Selfoss
Today
15 May
Tomorrow
16 May
Sun
17 May
Mon
18 May
Tue
19 May
Wed
20 May
Thu
21 May
Based on CME arrival predictions from NASA DONKI. Arrival times ±6 hours.
What Kp is needed here?
Selfoss sits at a magnetic latitude of approximately 64°N. The Kp index - a global measure of geomagnetic activity on a scale from 0 (quiet) to 9 (extreme storm), updated every 3 hours - needs to reach Kp 3 before the auroral oval expands far enough south to be visible from here.
At Kp 3, visibility is possible from Selfoss but skies need to be clear and dark. Cloud cover and light pollution remain the main obstacles even when Kp is high enough.
Best dark sky sites near Selfoss
Light pollution is the biggest obstacle after cloud cover. These sites give you the best dark northern horizon within reach.
Þingvellir National Park
Part of the Golden Circle and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Þingvellir sits in a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart. The national park has no significant light pollution and north-facing views across Lake Þingvallavatn toward open country. The rift walls block distant city glow. About 40 minutes from Selfoss on Route 36.
Hella and surrounding farmland
The agricultural plain around Hella, 30 minutes east of Selfoss along Route 1, is one of south Iceland's flattest and most open dark-sky areas. The farmland sits below the Hekla volcano with a clear horizon in all directions. No significant light pollution outside the small town of Hella. The flat terrain gives a low, wide sky ideal for watching a full aurora arc develop.
Kerið crater lake
A volcanic crater lake on Route 35 between Selfoss and the Golden Circle, Kerið is about 15 minutes north of Selfoss. The 270-metre wide, 170-metre deep crater gives a dramatic and unusual foreground - the vivid red and black volcanic walls with the turquoise lake below. At night it is completely dark away from the access road, and the crater rim gives an elevated view of the surrounding plain.
Best time to see the northern lights in Selfoss
Selfoss's aurora season runs from late September through to March, when nights are long enough for truly dark skies. The equinox months, September and March, bring a natural boost in geomagnetic activity, making them statistically the best of the season. Summer months bring too much twilight for aurora to be visible at this latitude.
Activity peaks around the September and March equinoxes, when Earth's magnetic field geometry is most favourable for coupling with the solar wind. Events during these two windows tend to produce the strongest displays of the year for observers at Selfoss's latitude.
April through August brings persistent astronomical twilight that washes out aurora completely. Even strong events (Kp 6+) remain invisible during this period because the sky never gets dark enough.
Related pages
Northern Lights Iceland
Iceland-wide aurora forecast hub.
Northern Lights Reykjavik Tonight
Reykjavik - 50 minutes west with the Grótta lighthouse.
Northern Lights Golden Circle Tonight
Þingvellir, Geysir, and Gullfoss - the Golden Circle aurora route.
Northern Lights Vík Tonight
Vík and Reynisfjara black sand beach - 120 km east.
What Is the Kp Index?
What Kp 3 means for viewing at 64°N magnetic latitude.
Common questions
Aurora watching from Selfoss and the south Iceland corridor.
