By month
Northern lights in December
December offers the longest nights of the year in the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice falls around 21 December, and at high latitudes - northern Norway, Iceland, Svalbard, northern Finland - the polar night has been in effect for weeks. All three tiers of northern location rate as good. Arctic sites at Kp 1-2, mid-latitude sites at Kp 3-4, and even the lower-latitude fringe locations at Kp 5 and above all have the maximum available darkness for their latitude. Tromsø and Alta are in polar night through the month; locations at 60°N such as Bergen and Helsinki have 5 to 6 hours of midday twilight but 12 to 14 hours of genuine night.
The main challenge in December is weather. Mid-winter conditions across northern Europe and North America bring cold, cloudy systems. Cloud cover is the decisive variable on any given night - a clear December night at Abisko or Yellowknife can be exceptional, while a cloudy one at Tromsø produces nothing. Cold, high-pressure anticyclone systems are the friend of aurora watchers in December: they bring stable, clear skies and often extend for several nights. Watching weather patterns a few days ahead and positioning to intercept a clear window gives the best results.
Southern hemisphere aurora is not available in December. Midsummer south of the equator means the high-latitude sites in Patagonia, New Zealand's far south, and Tasmania have no astronomical darkness. The southern aurora australis season will not restart until February.
Planning your trip in December
Weather
Deep winter at all northern aurora destinations. Tromsø averages -4°C to 0°C with frequent cloud and occasional snow. Finnish Lapland drops to -15°C to -25°C on clear nights. Swedish Lapland around Abisko is similar. Canadian interior (Whitehorse, Yellowknife) can reach -30°C or below. Iceland is milder but cloudier, around -2°C to 3°C. Christmas and New Year demand affects all destinations.
Darkness
Maximum darkness. Tromsø is in full polar night - no sun above the horizon at all. Svalbard at 78°N has been in polar night since late October. Iceland at 65°N has around 18 to 19 hours of darkness. Finland at 68°N has near-continuous darkness. Scotland at 57°N has around 16 to 17 hours of darkness. The solstice on 21 December marks the longest night.
Best regions
- Finnish and Swedish Lapland — Deepest winter conditions. Abisko, Saariselkä, and Kilpisjärvi are cold, dark, and often clearer than coastal Norway due to the continental interior microclimate. Reindeer, snow-covered forests, and long nights make December atmospheric as well as productive.
- Yellowknife, Canada — Directly under the auroral oval at 62°N with a subarctic continental climate. December temperatures reach extreme cold on clear nights - the same conditions that bring the clearest skies. Infrastructure is specifically set up for aurora tourism.
- Northern Norway — Tromsø is the most popular December aurora destination globally. The combination of polar night, fjord scenery, and professional tour operators makes it compelling. Cloud is the main obstacle - flexible dates or willingness to drive inland matter.
- Iceland — Accessible with direct flights, strong tourist infrastructure, and a dark sky through the long polar winter. Reykjavík itself is lit up but the country road network puts you in genuine darkness within 45 minutes. Good for self-drive itineraries.
Crowds & cost
December is peak season, particularly around Christmas and New Year. Tromsø, Reykjavík, and Rovaniemi are at their most expensive and heavily booked. Book three to six months ahead for the Christmas-New Year period. The first two weeks of December are notably cheaper than the holiday period. Yellowknife and Churchill in Canada are moderately priced but require planning for the remote logistics.
Practical tip
The Christmas and New Year period is the most expensive in the aurora calendar. If your dates are flexible, the first two weeks of December and January have equivalent conditions at significantly lower prices. Avoid booking around 22 to 31 December unless you have a specific reason to be there during the holiday period.
Current Kp level
Locations sorted by tonight's cloud cover within each group - clearest conditions first. Updated every 30 minutes.
Northern hemisphere
221 locations in good condition.
Abisko
Sweden's aurora capital, cloudless micro-climate
68° magnetic lat
Alta
Northern Norway, polar night
70° magnetic lat
Bodø
Above Arctic Circle, Lofoten gateway
67° magnetic lat
Churchill
Sub-Arctic Manitoba, auroral oval
69° magnetic lat
Dawson City
Yukon gold rush town inside the aurora oval
65° magnetic lat
Fairbanks
Alaska, auroral oval, Cleary Summit
68° magnetic lat
Finnsnes
Senja gateway, Gisund strait, 80 km south of Tromsø
69° magnetic lat
Gällivare
Dundret fell, less-visited Lapland
68° magnetic lat
Hammerfest
Northernmost town, 70°N, polar night, Barents Sea
70° magnetic lat
Harstad
Hinnøya island, Vesterålen gateway, Trondenes peninsula
69° magnetic lat
Honningsvåg
North Cape gateway, 71°N, Nordkapp plateau
71° magnetic lat
Ilulissat
UNESCO Icefjord, icebergs and aurora
72° magnetic lat
Ivalo
Finland's northernmost town at 69°N
69° magnetic lat
Jukkasjärvi
ICEHOTEL on the Torne River
68° magnetic lat
Kangerlussuaq
Clearest skies in Greenland, tundra dark sky
73° magnetic lat
Kirkenes
Russian border, east Finnmark, clear sky advantage
70° magnetic lat
Kiruna
ICEHOTEL and Swedish Lapland aurora
68° magnetic lat
Kittilä
Direct flights, gateway to Levi
68° magnetic lat
Kvaløya
Tromsø island, Kattfjordeidet headland
70° magnetic lat
Levi
Lapland ski resort, glass igloos
68° magnetic lat
Luosto
Purpose-built aurora resort
67° magnetic lat
Lyngen Alps
Alpine fjord scenery, 70°N
70° magnetic lat
Narvik
Arctic port city, Ofoten fjord, Narvikfjellet gondola
68° magnetic lat
Nuuk
Greenland capital, Nuup Kangerlua fjord
71° magnetic lat
Saariselkä
Finland's best dark-sky area
68° magnetic lat
Senja
Island of contrasts, dramatic coastline
69° magnetic lat
Svalbard
Inside the auroral oval year-round
78° magnetic lat
Tromsø
World's aurora capital
70° magnetic lat
Vardø
Norway's easternmost town, Barents Sea, Bortle Class 1
70° magnetic lat
Vesterålen
Island group north of Lofoten, Andøya, Bleik beach
69° magnetic lat
Yellowknife
Aurora capital of North America
69° magnetic lat
Ylläs
Finland's highest fell at 718 m
68° magnetic lat
Akureyri
North Iceland, Lake Mývatn
66° magnetic lat
Anchorage
Alaska, Kp 2 from the Chugach Range
65° magnetic lat
Borgarnes
75 minutes from Reykjavik, fjord views, Snæfellsnes gateway
65° magnetic lat
Dalvík
North Iceland, Eyjafjörður fjord, Grímsey Arctic Circle ferry
66° magnetic lat
Edmonton
Alberta, Elk Island Dark Sky Preserve, 62°N magnetic
62° magnetic lat
Egilsstaðir
East Iceland, Lagarfljót lake, clear skies
65° magnetic lat
Húsavík
North Iceland, Skjálfandi Bay
66° magnetic lat
Ísafjörður
Westfjords capital, deep fjord, Dynjandi waterfall
66° magnetic lat
Lofoten Islands
Dramatic coastline and dark skies
68° magnetic lat
Mývatn
Volcanic lake, pseudocraters, Dimmuborgir lava fields
65° magnetic lat
Reykjavik
Capital, Grótta lighthouse area
65° magnetic lat
Rovaniemi
Gateway to Finnish Lapland
66° magnetic lat
Scotland
Scotland aurora hub — Shetland to Galloway
57° magnetic lat
Shetland Islands
Scotland's northernmost islands
61° magnetic lat
Snæfellsbær
Kirkjufell mountain, Grundarfjörður
65° magnetic lat
Snæfellsnes
Glacier peninsula, Kirkjufell mountain
65° magnetic lat
Stykkishólmur
Snæfellsnes north coast, Breiðafjörður bay reflections
65° magnetic lat
Umeå
Northern Sweden, High Coast aurora
64° magnetic lat
Vopnafjörður
Northeast Iceland, Bortle Class 1 fjord
65° magnetic lat
Westfjords
Iceland's most remote, darkest region
66° magnetic lat
Whitehorse
Yukon, dark skies and wilderness lodges
67° magnetic lat
Aberdeen
North-east Scotland, coastal dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Akranes
45 min from Reykjavik, peninsula lighthouse, Faxaflói bay
64° magnetic lat
Ålesund
Art Nouveau coast, fjord archipelago
62° magnetic lat
Aviemore
Cairngorm plateau at 635m, Loch Morlich, Rothiemurchus
57° magnetic lat
Banff
Rocky Mountains, high-altitude dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Bergen
Gateway to the fjords
60° magnetic lat
Cairngorms
Dark-sky plateau above 1 000 m
57° magnetic lat
Calgary
Alberta, Ghost Reservoir and Kananaskis foothills
60° magnetic lat
Eiði
Risin og Kellingin sea stacks
62° magnetic lat
Fort Augustus
South end of Loch Ness, Great Glen dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Fort William
Gateway to the Great Glen and Nevis range
57° magnetic lat
Gásadalur
Múlafossur waterfall, clifftop village
62° magnetic lat
Golden Circle
Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss
64° magnetic lat
Great Falls
North-central Montana, Missouri River plains
56° magnetic lat
Helsinki
Finnish capital
60° magnetic lat
Höfn
Southeast Iceland, glacier gateway, Vestrahorn mountain
64° magnetic lat
Inverness
Highland capital, dark-sky glens nearby
58° magnetic lat
Isle of Lewis
Callanish Standing Stones, Butt of Lewis
58° magnetic lat
Isle of Skye
Remote Highland island with clear north skies
57° magnetic lat
Jökulsárlón
Glacial lagoon, south coast
64° magnetic lat
Kristiansund
Atlantic coast, Grip island dark sky
63° magnetic lat
Lahemaa National Park
Käsmu peninsula and Altja coast, Bortle Class 2, Gulf of Finland
60° magnetic lat
Landmannalaugar
Rhyolite highland, Bortle Class 1
64° magnetic lat
Molde
City of roses, Romsdal fjord aurora
63° magnetic lat
Narva
Estonian-Russian border, twin castles, Narva-Jõesuu beach
59° magnetic lat
North Bay
Northern Ontario, Marten River dark sky, Lake Nipissing
58° magnetic lat
North Coast 500
Durness, Strathy Point — north-coast dark sky circuit
58° magnetic lat
Nova Scotia
Atlantic Canada, Kejimkujik Gold Tier Dark Sky Preserve
57° magnetic lat
Orkney Islands
Dark-sky archipelago north of mainland Scotland
59° magnetic lat
Outer Hebrides
Callanish, Luskentyre, Bortle Class 1-2
57° magnetic lat
Pärnu
Gulf of Riga resort, north beach dark sky, Kihnu island ferry
59° magnetic lat
Pitlochry
Highland Perthshire, Loch Tummel, Ben Vrackie moorland
57° magnetic lat
Quebec City
Quebec, Charlevoix biosphere and Laurentides reserve
57° magnetic lat
Saaremaa
Estonia's largest island, Harilaid Bortle Class 2, Angla windmills
58° magnetic lat
Saint John
New Brunswick, Fundy Trail Parkway and Fundy National Park
57° magnetic lat
Scottish Highlands
Glen Affric, Torridon, Assynt — remote Bortle 2 glens
58° magnetic lat
Selfoss
South Iceland, Golden Circle gateway
64° magnetic lat
Skagen
Denmark's northernmost tip, Grenen headland
58° magnetic lat
Sognefjord
Norway's longest fjord, Flåm and Balestrand
61° magnetic lat
Sudbury
Northern Ontario, 58°N magnetic, Killarney Provincial Park
58° magnetic lat
Tallinn
Lahemaa coast and Paldiski Peninsula
60° magnetic lat
Thunder Bay
Northwestern Ontario, Lake Superior north shore
57° magnetic lat
Tórshavn
Capital on Streymoy, Sornfelli summit
62° magnetic lat
Ullapool
Loch Broom, Achnahaird Bay, Assynt moorland dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Vancouver
BC coast, Golden Ears and Manning Provincial Park
58° magnetic lat
Vík
Reynisfjara black sand beach
64° magnetic lat
Winnipeg
Manitoba prairie capital, Lake Winnipeg dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Þórsmörk
Highland valley, seasonal access only
64° magnetic lat
Aalborg
North Jutland, Jammerbugten coast, Rebild National Park
57° magnetic lat
Argyll
Kilmartin Glen, Loch Awe, Sound of Jura
56° magnetic lat
Bozeman
Gallatin Valley, Yellowstone gateway, Montana
54° magnetic lat
Burlington
Lake Champlain, Vermont's largest city
53° magnetic lat
Cape Kolka
Northernmost Latvia, Slītere National Park, Bortle Class 2
58° magnetic lat
Duluth
Lake Superior north shore, Hawk Ridge
55° magnetic lat
Dumfries & Galloway
Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park
55° magnetic lat
Dundee
Angus coast, north-facing dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Edinburgh
Pentland Hills and East Lothian dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Galloway Forest
UK's first Dark Sky Park, IDA Gold Tier
55° magnetic lat
Glasgow
Loch Lomond dark sky 30 minutes north
55° magnetic lat
Isle of Man
Point of Ayre and Maughold Head, Irish Sea dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Jasper
Dark Sky Preserve, Alberta Rockies
53° magnetic lat
Jūrmala
Gulf of Riga beach resort, 20 minutes from Riga by train
57° magnetic lat
Marquette
Upper Peninsula, Presque Isle on Lake Superior
55° magnetic lat
Mayo
Achill Island, Mullet Peninsula, Wild Atlantic Way
54° magnetic lat
Michigan
Upper Peninsula, dark sky on Lake Superior
55° magnetic lat
Minneapolis
Twin Cities, Boundary Waters 4 hrs north
55° magnetic lat
Minnesota
Boundary Waters, best dark sky in the northern lower 48
56° magnetic lat
Montana
Glacier NP, Rocky Mountain aurora
55° magnetic lat
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt NP, flat prairie horizon
58° magnetic lat
Oban
Argyll coast, Ganavan Sands, Loch Etive dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Ontario
Canada's most populous province - Killarney and Algonquin dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Oslo
Norwegian capital
59° magnetic lat
Perth
Kinnoull Hill, Loch Tummel, Glen Lyon dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Portland
Maine, Cape Elizabeth coast, Acadia 3 hrs north
53° magnetic lat
Prince George
Northern BC, dark boreal forest
55° magnetic lat
Riga
Cape Kolka and Gauja National Park
58° magnetic lat
Scottish Borders
Moorfoot Hills, Cheviot Hills, St Mary's Loch dark sky
55° magnetic lat
Seattle
Pacific Northwest, Hurricane Ridge and Cascades
54° magnetic lat
Šiauliai
Hill of Crosses foreground, northern Lithuania dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Sigulda
Gauja National Park, Turaida Castle, sandstone valley dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Sligo
Mullaghmore Head, Ben Bulben, Atlantic coast
54° magnetic lat
Stirling
Loch Lomond and Trossachs on the doorstep
56° magnetic lat
Stockholm
Swedish capital, strong storms only
59° magnetic lat
Tofino
Vancouver Island outer coast, Long Beach, Pacific Rim NP
54° magnetic lat
Whitefish
Glacier National Park gateway, NW Montana
55° magnetic lat
Wisconsin
Apostle Islands, Lake Superior north shore
56° magnetic lat
Yorkshire Dales
Ribblehead Viaduct, Malham Cove Dark Sky Discovery Site
54° magnetic lat
Anglesey
South Stack, Newborough Warren, Holy Island dark sky
53° magnetic lat
Antrim
North Antrim coast and Dark Hedges
55° magnetic lat
Belfast
North Antrim coast 1 hour away
54° magnetic lat
Bornholm
Baltic island, Hammerknuden north coast, Denmark's darkest island
55° magnetic lat
Carlisle
Solway Firth and Eden Valley
55° magnetic lat
Clare
Loop Head Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Dark Sky
53° magnetic lat
Copenhagen
North Zealand coast and Odsherred Peninsula
56° magnetic lat
Derry
Inishowen Peninsula dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Donegal
Northernmost county, Malin Head dark sky
55° magnetic lat
Durham
North Pennines AONB dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Flensburg
Germany's northernmost city, Flensburg Fjord and Holnis peninsula
56° magnetic lat
Gdańsk
Baltic port city, Hel Peninsula north-facing coast
54° magnetic lat
Hamburg
North Sea and Baltic coast access
56° magnetic lat
Hull
Flamborough Head and Holderness coast north-facing dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Idaho
Craters of the Moon Dark Sky Park
55° magnetic lat
Kerry
Iveragh Peninsula, Valentia Island, Atlantic coast
52° magnetic lat
Klaipėda
Baltic coast city, Curonian Spit UNESCO dunes
55° magnetic lat
Lake District
Ennerdale Water and Wastwater, Bortle 2 lake reflections
54° magnetic lat
Lancaster
Forest of Bowland dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Maine
Acadia NP, dark-sky New England coast
54° magnetic lat
Masurian Lakes
Northeast Poland, darkest region in central Europe
54° magnetic lat
New Hampshire
Coos County, Connecticut Lakes area
55° magnetic lat
Newcastle
Northumberland dark sky 40 minutes west
54° magnetic lat
Nida
Curonian Spit UNESCO, Parnidis Dune Bortle Class 2-3
55° magnetic lat
Norfolk
Holkham Beach and Blakeney Point, north Norfolk coast
53° magnetic lat
North York Moors
Urra Moor, Robin Hood's Bay, north Yorkshire dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Northern Ireland
All Northern Ireland locations
54° magnetic lat
Northumberland
Kielder Dark Sky Observatory
55° magnetic lat
Oregon
Alvord Desert Bortle 1-2, Crater Lake
54° magnetic lat
Peak District
Stanage Edge and Kinder Scout, central England dark sky
53° magnetic lat
Rügen
Kap Arkona lighthouse and Königsstuhl chalk cliffs
55° magnetic lat
Sunderland
Northumberland coast and fells
54° magnetic lat
Vermont
Northeast Kingdom, Bortle 2-3 near Quebec
55° magnetic lat
Vilnius
Lithuania's capital, Molėtai Observatory, Aukštaitija National Park
54° magnetic lat
Wakkanai
Japan's northernmost city, Cape Soya, best aurora position
45° magnetic lat
Washington
Okanogan Highlands and North Cascades
54° magnetic lat
Wicklow
Wicklow Mountains, closest dark sky to Dublin
53° magnetic lat
Wyoming
Yellowstone and Grand Teton at 2 000 m
55° magnetic lat
York
North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales within an hour
54° magnetic lat
Abashiri
Northeast Hokkaido, Sea of Okhotsk, drift ice coast
44° magnetic lat
Amsterdam
North Holland coast and Wadden Sea islands
54° magnetic lat
Berlin
Müritz and Schorfheide dark-sky areas
54° magnetic lat
Birmingham
Cannock Chase dark sky 30 minutes north
52° magnetic lat
Brecon Beacons
Bannau Brycheiniog Dark Sky Reserve
52° magnetic lat
Cambridge
Fens and north Norfolk coast
52° magnetic lat
Cork
Southernmost, Mizen Head peninsula
52° magnetic lat
Cornwall
Bodmin Moor Dark Sky Landscape, Atlantic north coast
50° magnetic lat
Daisetsuzan
Japan's largest national park, Asahidake ropeway to 1,600 m
44° magnetic lat
Derby
Peak District 30 minutes north
52° magnetic lat
Devon
Dartmoor International Dark Sky Reserve, Bortle 2
51° magnetic lat
Dublin
Irish capital, strong storms needed
53° magnetic lat
Exmoor Dark Sky Reserve
Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve, Bortle Class 2
51° magnetic lat
Galway
West coast, Connemara dark sky
53° magnetic lat
Hokkaido
Japan's northern island, 43-45° magnetic, Shiretoko Peninsula
44° magnetic lat
Kushiro
Kushiro Wetlands, Akan Mashu NP, Cape Kiritappu coast
43° magnetic lat
Leeds
Yorkshire Dales 45 minutes north
53° magnetic lat
Leicester
Rutland Water and Charnwood Forest
52° magnetic lat
Lincoln
Lincolnshire Wolds, low light pollution
53° magnetic lat
Liverpool
Anglesey and Forest of Bowland
53° magnetic lat
Manchester
Peak District and Forest of Bowland
53° magnetic lat
Norwich
Norfolk coast and the Broads
52° magnetic lat
Nottingham
Sherwood Forest and Rutland Water
52° magnetic lat
Pembrokeshire
West Wales, minimal light pollution coast
52° magnetic lat
Rotterdam
South Holland and Zeeland coast
54° magnetic lat
Sapporo
Hokkaido's capital, Jozankei and Shikotsu-Toya dark sites
43° magnetic lat
Sheffield
Peak District dark sky on the doorstep
53° magnetic lat
Snowdonia
Eryri Dark Sky Reserve, Kp 6 needed
53° magnetic lat
Šumava National Park
Bohemian Forest, Bortle Class 2-3, elevated plateau
50° magnetic lat
Texel
Wadden Sea island, darkest north-facing Dutch coast
53° magnetic lat
Wales overview
All Wales locations with local forecasts
52° magnetic lat
Yorkshire
North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales
53° magnetic lat
Brighton
South Downs dark sky, storms only
50° magnetic lat
Bristol
Mendip Hills and Exmoor, storms only
51° magnetic lat
Cardiff
Brecon Beacons 1 hour north, storms only
51° magnetic lat
Carpathian Mountains
Retezat and Piatra Craiului, darkest skies in Romania
46° magnetic lat
Furano
Central Hokkaido, Tokachi-dake volcanic area, Bortle 2
43° magnetic lat
Hakodate
Southern Hokkaido historic port, Onuma Park, Kp 7-8
42° magnetic lat
London
UK capital, major storms only
51° magnetic lat
Niseko
Ski resort, Mount Yotei approach, Lake Toya caldera
43° magnetic lat
Oxford
Chilterns AONB, storms only
51° magnetic lat
Southampton
New Forest dark sky, storms only
50° magnetic lat
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Common questions
Northern lights viewing in December.
