Kp 8 aurora locations

Sweden's aurora capital, cloudless micro-climate

Alaska hub – Fairbanks and Anchorage overview

Northern Norway, polar night

Andøya north tip, lighthouse, Bleik beach, Space Centre

Above Arctic Circle, Lofoten gateway

Sub-Arctic Manitoba, auroral oval

Yukon gold rush town inside the aurora oval

Alaska, auroral oval, Cleary Summit

Aurora belt above 68°N, Saariselkä, Levi, Ivalo hub

Senja gateway, Gisund strait, 80 km south of Tromsø

Dundret fell, less-visited Lapland

Northernmost town, 70°N, polar night, Barents Sea

Hinnøya island, Vesterålen gateway, Trondenes peninsula

North Cape gateway, 71°N, Nordkapp plateau

UNESCO Icefjord, icebergs and aurora

Finland's northernmost town at 69°N

ICEHOTEL on the Torne River

Clearest skies in Greenland, tundra dark sky

Finnmarksvidda plateau, Bortle Class 1, Sámi heartland

Russian border, east Finnmark, clear sky advantage

ICEHOTEL and Swedish Lapland aurora

Direct flights, gateway to Levi

Tromsø island, Kattfjordeidet headland

Lapland ski resort, glass igloos

Purpose-built aurora resort

Alpine fjord scenery, 70°N

Lyngenfjord ferry terminal, Lyngen Alps backdrop

Barents Sea coast, Slettnes Lighthouse, polar night

Arctic port city, Ofoten fjord, Narvikfjellet gondola

Greenland capital, Nuup Kangerlua fjord

Finland's best dark-sky area

Island of contrasts, dramatic coastline

Island west of Tromsø, Polar Ocean horizon, Rebbenesøya

Inside the auroral oval year-round

World's aurora capital

Mainland north of Tromsø, Arctic Ocean views, Ullsfjorden

Norway's easternmost town, Barents Sea, Bortle Class 1

Island group north of Lofoten, Andøya, Bleik beach

Aurora capital of North America

Finland's highest fell at 718 m

North Iceland, Lake Mývatn

Alaska, Kp 2 from the Chugach Range

75 minutes from Reykjavik, fjord views, Snæfellsnes gateway

North Iceland, Eyjafjörður fjord, Grímsey Arctic Circle ferry

Alberta, Elk Island Dark Sky Preserve, 60°N magnetic

East Iceland, Lagarfljót lake, clear skies

Island-village harbour, Festvågen headland, Lofoten

North Iceland, Skjálfandi Bay

Westfjords capital, deep fjord, Dynjandi waterfall

Central Lofoten base, Unstad beach, Eggum coast

Dramatic coastline and dark skies

Volcanic lake, pseudocraters, Dimmuborgir lava fields

Moskenesøya peaks, Reinebringen summit, Kirkefjord rorbuer

Capital, Grótta lighthouse area

Gateway to Finnish Lapland

Scotland aurora hub — Shetland to Galloway

Scotland's northernmost islands

Kirkjufell mountain, Grundarfjörður

Glacier peninsula, Kirkjufell mountain

Snæfellsnes north coast, Breiðafjörður bay reflections

Lofoten hub, Svolværgeita peaks, Kabelvåg harbour

Northern Sweden, High Coast aurora

Northeast Iceland, Bortle Class 1 fjord

Iceland's most remote, darkest region

Yukon, dark skies and wilderness lodges

North-east Scotland, coastal dark sky

45 min from Reykjavik, peninsula lighthouse, Faxaflói bay

Art Nouveau coast, fjord archipelago

Cairngorm plateau at 635m, Loch Morlich, Rothiemurchus

Rocky Mountains, high-altitude dark sky

Gateway to the fjords

Dark-sky plateau above 1 000 m

Alberta, Ghost Reservoir and Kananaskis foothills

Risin og Kellingin sea stacks

South end of Loch Ness, Great Glen dark sky

Gateway to the Great Glen and Nevis range

Múlafossur waterfall, clifftop village

Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss

Finnish capital

Southeast Iceland, glacier gateway, Vestrahorn mountain

Highland capital, dark-sky glens nearby

Callanish Standing Stones, Butt of Lewis

Remote Highland island with clear north skies

Dark Sky Preserve, Alberta Rockies

Glacial lagoon, south coast

Michigan's UP, Brockway Mountain, Copper Harbor

Atlantic coast, Grip island dark sky

Käsmu peninsula and Altja coast, Bortle Class 2, Gulf of Finland

Banff National Park, Moraine Lake and Icefields Parkway

Rhyolite highland, Bortle Class 1

City of roses, Romsdal fjord aurora

Estonian-Russian border, twin castles, Narva-Jõesuu beach

Durness, Strathy Point — north-coast dark sky circuit

Dark-sky archipelago north of mainland Scotland

Callanish, Luskentyre, Bortle Class 1-2

Gulf of Riga resort, north beach dark sky, Kihnu island ferry

Highland Perthshire, Loch Tummel, Ben Vrackie moorland

Northern BC, dark boreal forest

Estonia's largest island, Harilaid Bortle Class 2, Angla windmills

Glen Affric, Torridon, Assynt — remote Bortle 2 glens

South Iceland, Golden Circle gateway

Denmark's northernmost tip, Grenen headland

Norway's longest fjord, Flåm and Balestrand

Lahemaa coast and Paldiski Peninsula

Northwestern Ontario, Lake Superior north shore

Capital on Streymoy, Sornfelli summit

Loch Broom, Achnahaird Bay, Assynt moorland dark sky

Reynisfjara black sand beach

Manitoba prairie capital, Lake Winnipeg dark sky

Highland valley, seasonal access only

North Jutland, Jammerbugten coast, Rebild National Park

Kilmartin Glen, Loch Awe, Sound of Jura

Gallatin Valley, Yellowstone gateway, Montana

Lake Champlain, Vermont's largest city

Northernmost Latvia, Slītere National Park, Bortle Class 2

Lake Superior north shore, Hawk Ridge

Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park

Angus coast, north-facing dark sky

Pentland Hills and East Lothian dark sky

UK's first Dark Sky Park, IDA Gold Tier

Loch Lomond dark sky 30 minutes north

Point of Ayre and Maughold Head, Irish Sea dark sky

Gulf of Riga beach resort, 20 minutes from Riga by train

Ireland's most northerly point, County Donegal

Upper Peninsula, Presque Isle on Lake Superior

Achill Island, Mullet Peninsula, Wild Atlantic Way

Upper Peninsula, dark sky on Lake Superior

Twin Cities, Boundary Waters 4 hrs north

Boundary Waters, best dark sky in the northern lower 48

Glacier NP, Rocky Mountain aurora

Argyll coast, Ganavan Sands, Loch Etive dark sky

Norwegian capital

Kinnoull Hill, Loch Tummel, Glen Lyon dark sky

Cape Kolka and Gauja National Park

Moorfoot Hills, Cheviot Hills, St Mary's Loch dark sky

Pacific Northwest, Hurricane Ridge and Cascades

Hill of Crosses foreground, northern Lithuania dark sky

Gauja National Park, Turaida Castle, sandstone valley dark sky

Mullaghmore Head, Ben Bulben, Atlantic coast

Loch Lomond and Trossachs on the doorstep

Swedish capital, strong storms only

Vancouver Island outer coast, Long Beach, Pacific Rim NP

Glacier National Park gateway, NW Montana

Apostle Islands, Lake Superior north shore

Ribblehead Viaduct, Malham Cove Dark Sky Discovery Site

South Stack, Newborough Warren, Holy Island dark sky

North Antrim coast and Dark Hedges

North Antrim coast 1 hour away

Baltic island, Hammerknuden north coast, Denmark's darkest island

Solway Firth and Eden Valley

Loop Head Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Dark Sky

North Zealand coast and Odsherred Peninsula

Inishowen Peninsula dark sky

Northernmost county, Malin Head dark sky

North Pennines AONB dark sky

Germany's northernmost city, Flensburg Fjord and Holnis peninsula

Baltic port city, Hel Peninsula north-facing coast

Montana, 55°N magnetic, Glacier NP Bortle 2 dark sky

North-central Montana, Missouri River plains

North Sea and Baltic coast access

Flamborough Head and Holderness coast north-facing dark sky

Nachusa Grasslands and Shawnee NF dark sky

Iveragh Peninsula, Valentia Island, Atlantic coast

Baltic coast city, Curonian Spit UNESCO dunes

Ennerdale Water and Wastwater, Bortle 2 lake reflections

Forest of Bowland dark sky

Acadia NP, dark-sky New England coast

Northeast Poland, darkest region in central Europe

Coos County, Connecticut Lakes area

Adirondacks – Bortle 2, largest wilderness east of Mississippi

Northumberland dark sky 40 minutes west

Curonian Spit UNESCO, Parnidis Dune Bortle Class 2-3

Holkham Beach and Blakeney Point, north Norfolk coast

Northern Ontario, Marten River dark sky, Lake Nipissing

Theodore Roosevelt NP, flat prairie horizon

Urra Moor, Robin Hood's Bay, north Yorkshire dark sky

All Northern Ireland locations

Kielder Dark Sky Observatory

Canada's most populous province - Killarney and Algonquin dark sky

Stanage Edge and Kinder Scout, central England dark sky

Quebec, Charlevoix biosphere and Laurentides reserve

Kap Arkona lighthouse and Königsstuhl chalk cliffs

New Brunswick, Fundy Trail Parkway and Fundy National Park

Northern Ontario, 55°N magnetic, Killarney Provincial Park

Northumberland coast and fells

BC coast, Golden Ears and Manning Provincial Park

Northeast Kingdom, Bortle 2-3 near Quebec

Lithuania's capital, Molėtai Observatory, Aukštaitija National Park

Okanogan Highlands and North Cascades

Wicklow Mountains, closest dark sky to Dublin

Yellowstone and Grand Teton at 2 000 m

North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales within an hour

North Holland coast and Wadden Sea islands

Müritz and Schorfheide dark-sky areas

Cannock Chase dark sky 30 minutes north

Bannau Brycheiniog Dark Sky Reserve

Fens and north Norfolk coast

Great Sand Dunes NP, Dark Sky Park at 2340 m

Southernmost, Mizen Head peninsula

Bodmin Moor Dark Sky Landscape, Atlantic north coast

Peak District 30 minutes north

Dartmoor International Dark Sky Reserve, Bortle 2

Irish capital, strong storms needed

Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve, Bortle Class 2

West coast, Connemara dark sky

Craters of the Moon Dark Sky Park

Indiana Dunes NP and Hoosier NF dark sky

Yellow River SF and Loess Hills – Driftless dark sky

Cimarron Grassland – flat prairie horizon, Bortle 2

Land Between the Lakes – lake peninsula dark sky

Yorkshire Dales 45 minutes north

Rutland Water and Charnwood Forest

Lincolnshire Wolds, low light pollution

Anglesey and Forest of Bowland

Peak District and Forest of Bowland

Garrett County and Assateague Island dark sky

Mount Greylock and Cape Cod dark sky

Ozark Riverways Bortle 2 – Current River corridor

Sandhills – Bortle 2 over vast area

Pine Barrens and High Point SP dark sky

Norfolk coast and the Broads

Sherwood Forest and Rutland Water

Atlantic Canada, Kejimkujik Gold Tier Dark Sky Preserve

Hocking Hills and Wayne NF – Kp 4, Lake Erie horizon

Alvord Desert Bortle 1-2, Crater Lake

West Wales, minimal light pollution coast

Cherry Springs SP Bortle 1 – best dark sky in the east

Maine, Cape Elizabeth coast, Acadia 3 hrs north

Oregon, Rowena Crest and Columbia River Gorge

South Holland and Zeeland coast

Peak District dark sky on the doorstep

Eryri Dark Sky Reserve, Kp 6 needed

Bohemian Forest, Bortle Class 2-3, elevated plateau

Roan Mountain 1916 m and Big South Fork

Wadden Sea island, darkest north-facing Dutch coast

Bryce Canyon and Natural Bridges Dark Sky Parks

Grayson Highlands 1700 m and Shenandoah NP

All Wales locations with local forecasts

DC metro – Shenandoah NP 80 miles

North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales

Little River Canyon and Bankhead NF dark sky

Kitt Peak Bortle 1 and Flagstaff Dark Sky City

Ozarks – Buffalo National River, Bortle 2

South Downs dark sky, storms only

Mendip Hills and Exmoor, storms only

Lassen Volcanic NP and Point Arena coast

Brecon Beacons 1 hour north, storms only

Retezat and Piatra Craiului, darkest skies in Romania

Blue Ridge mountains, Kp 7 from northern GA dark sky

UK capital, major storms only

Blue Ridge Parkway – Waterrock Knob 1934 m

Wichita Mountains and Black Mesa Panhandle

Chilterns AONB, storms only

Japan's northernmost inhabited island, Sukoton Cape, Bortle 1-2

Rishiri-Fuji volcano, Otatomari Pond reflection, Bortle 1-2

New Forest dark sky, storms only

McDonald Observatory Bortle 1 and Big Bend NP

Japan's northernmost city, Cape Soya, best aurora position

Northeast Hokkaido, Sea of Okhotsk, drift ice coast

Rolling farmland, patchwork hills, Shirogane Onsen dark sky

Japan's largest national park, Asahidake ropeway to 1,600 m

Central Hokkaido, Tokachi-dake volcanic area, Bortle 2

Southern Hokkaido historic port, Onuma Park, Kp 8-9

Japan's northern island, ~37° magnetic, Shiretoko Peninsula

Kushiro Wetlands, Akan Mashu NP, Cape Kiritappu coast

Cape Nosappu - Japan's easternmost point, Sea of Okhotsk coast

Ski resort, Mount Yotei approach, Lake Toya caldera

Hokkaido's capital, Jozankei and Shikotsu-Toya dark sites

UNESCO wilderness, Bortle 1-2, Five Lakes, Utoro coast

Lake Toya volcanic caldera, Nakajima island, Usu volcano