By month
Northern lights in June
June is the worst month of the year for northern hemisphere aurora observers. The summer solstice falls on or around 21 June, and nights are at their shortest - or nonexistent at higher latitudes. Above about 65°N, the midnight sun means continuous daylight around the clock. Even as far south as Scotland and northern Germany, the sky never reaches astronomical darkness, staying in a persistent bright twilight from dusk to dawn. No aurora is visible under these conditions, regardless of Kp level or solar activity.
There is no workaround for the northern hemisphere in June. Stories of seeing aurora in Scandinavia in summer are misidentifications - what observers sometimes see is noctilucent cloud, a high-altitude atmospheric phenomenon that appears in twilight skies and is sometimes confused with aurora. Noctilucent cloud is striking in its own right, but it is not aurora.
The southern hemisphere is at its seasonal peak. June sits in the middle of winter south of the equator, and aurora australis locations from Ushuaia and Punta Arenas through to Queenstown, Hobart, and Cradle Mountain all have long, dark nights. All tiers of southern location - from the highest magnetic latitudes to mid-latitude sites - are in good condition. June is statistically one of the strongest months for aurora australis, and for observers with the flexibility to travel south, it is one of the best times of the year.
Planning your trip in June
Weather
Cold winter in all southern hemisphere aurora destinations. Ushuaia averages around -2°C to 4°C with wind and occasional snow. Queenstown is cold with clear nights - often the driest period before the wettest July. Hobart is cool with mixed weather. Cradle Mountain in Tasmania can have heavy frost and snow. Layering is essential.
Darkness
No aurora darkness in the northern hemisphere. In the south, June is peak darkness. Ushuaia at 55°S has around 15 hours of darkness. Stewart Island and Queenstown have 14 hours. Hobart has 13 hours. These are some of the longest potential aurora-watching windows of the southern year.
Best regions
- Ushuaia, Argentina — Peak southern winter. Long, cold nights with a clear southern horizon across the Beagle Channel. June is one of Ushuaia's most productive aurora australis months. Tour operators run dedicated aurora excursions.
- Punta Arenas, Chile — More services and infrastructure than Ushuaia, with access to dark sites outside the city. Torres del Paine to the north provides dramatic landscape backdrops for photography.
- Queenstown, New Zealand — Best combination of accessibility and dark skies in New Zealand. The Remarkables provide elevation above valley light. Arrowtown and the surrounding hills offer even darker sites within 30 minutes of the city.
- Cradle Mountain, Tasmania — One of the darkest accessible sites in the southern hemisphere. June aurora events regularly produce significant displays visible with the naked eye. Cold and remote but well worth it for a clear winter night.
Crowds & cost
June is winter in the southern hemisphere. Queenstown ski season begins, raising prices and reducing accommodation availability, particularly in the second half of the month. Ushuaia is relatively quiet in June compared to its summer cruise-ship peak. Hobart and Tasmania are calm. Book ski-area accommodation early if combining aurora with winter sports.
Practical tip
June is noctilucent cloud season in the northern hemisphere - these blue-white structures appear in the north after midnight from Scotland and Scandinavia. They are not aurora but worth seeing in their own right. If you are in the northern hemisphere in June, look north after midnight for noctilucent cloud displays.
Current Kp level
Locations sorted by tonight's cloud cover within each group - clearest conditions first. Updated every 30 minutes.
No northern hemisphere locations this month
In June, persistent twilight or midnight sun prevents aurora observation at all northern latitudes. No storm level is strong enough to produce a visible display without astronomical darkness. The southern hemisphere locations below are your best option this month.
Southern hemisphere
Aurora australis locations visible in June. 23 in good condition.
Fiordland
Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Te Anau
58° magnetic lat
Lake Tekapo
Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve
56° magnetic lat
Stewart Island
Rakiura, NZ's southernmost inhabited island
59° magnetic lat
Ushuaia
World's southernmost city, Beagle Channel
55° magnetic lat
Dunedin
Otago Peninsula south coast
56° magnetic lat
Queenstown
Remarkables range, dark sky south of town
56° magnetic lat
Wānaka
Lone willow tree, Lake Wānaka
56° magnetic lat
Christchurch
Lake Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve nearby
55° magnetic lat
Cradle Mountain
Dove Lake, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
54° magnetic lat
El Calafate
Perito Moreno Glacier, Lake Argentino
50° magnetic lat
Hobart
Tasmania, Australia's lowest aurora threshold
54° magnetic lat
Launceston
Northern Tasmania, Ben Lomond alpine dark sky
52° magnetic lat
Tasmania
Australia's best aurora state - Hobart, Cradle Mountain, Launceston
54° magnetic lat
Falls Creek
Victorian Alps, Bogong High Plains at 1 600 m
50° magnetic lat
Kangaroo Island
Remarkable Rocks, south coast dark sky
42° magnetic lat
Mount Gambier
South Australia, Canunda NP south coast
51° magnetic lat
South Australia
Coorong, Limestone Coast, Fleurieu Peninsula south coast
49° magnetic lat
Victoria
Wilsons Promontory, Great Ocean Road, Victorian Alps
50° magnetic lat
Western Australia
Albany, Esperance, Fitzgerald River NP south coast
47° magnetic lat
Cape Town
Cape Point, southernmost accessible tip
42° magnetic lat
Melbourne
Point Nepean and Wilson's Promontory
48° magnetic lat
New South Wales
Eden south coast, Sapphire Coast, Kosciuszko
45° magnetic lat
Sutherland
Karoo, SAAO site, darkest skies in SA
43° magnetic lat
No locations match your search.
Common questions
Northern lights viewing in June.
