By month
Northern lights in September
September is the most productive aurora month in the calendar for a large proportion of observers. The autumn equinox - around 22 September - produces a consistent, well-documented increase in geomagnetic storms. Earth's magnetic field orientation at equinox allows solar wind to couple more efficiently into the magnetosphere, raising geomagnetic activity even on days with moderate solar output. Statistically, September and March see more Kp 5 and above events than any other months of the year. The September effect tends to be stronger than March in most solar cycle analyses.
For northern hemisphere observers, the timing is well-suited. Nights have lengthened substantially since August - high-latitude sites now have 8 to 12 hours of darkness, and mid-latitude sites have 10 to 12 hours. High-latitude northern locations like Norway, Iceland, Finland, Svalbard, and Greenland rate as good across the whole month. Mid-latitude sites including Scotland, Denmark, the Baltic states, and northern North America rate as marginal in September: nights are long enough for viewing, but the Kp requirement is higher at these latitudes and a genuine storm event is needed. The equinox effect means those storm events arrive with elevated frequency this month.
Southern hemisphere observers catch the same equinox boost, but with shortening nights as spring approaches. High-latitude austral sites in Argentina and New Zealand's far south still rate as good. Mid-latitude southern locations are marginal, with the season easing as October approaches. The equinox window is brief - roughly two to three weeks either side of 22 September - but within it, any clear dark night carries elevated potential.
Planning your trip in September
Weather
Autumn arrives at all high-latitude northern sites in September. Norway and Iceland have milder temperatures than winter - 5°C to 12°C in Tromsø, 5°C to 10°C in Iceland. Rain and cloud increase from Atlantic systems. Inland Lapland and Abisko can see early snow and frost. Weather can change rapidly. In the south, spring is beginning and temperatures are rising in Patagonia and New Zealand.
Darkness
Good nights across all latitude bands. Tromsø has 10 to 12 hours of darkness. Iceland gets 10 to 11 hours. Scotland and the Baltic states have 9 to 11 hours. Norway's northern coast is returning to proper night conditions after the summer gap. The equinox delivers equal night length at all latitudes around the 22nd.
Best regions
- Northern Norway — Back in full season from early September. Tromsø, Alta, and the Lofoten Islands see some of their most statistically productive nights of the year in the equinox window. Weather is more variable than deep winter.
- Iceland — One of the most popular months for aurora tourism. Accessible, good infrastructure, and the equinox effect is clearly visible in historical data. The combination of green aurora and orange autumn light is photogenic.
- Scottish Highlands — September is one of the best months for aurora from Scotland. The equinox delivers the Kp 4 to 5 events needed for Scottish visibility several times during the month. Galloway, Cairngorms, and north Highlands are the best dark sites.
- Abisko, Sweden — The Abisko microclimate tends to produce clear nights even when coastal Norway is overcast. September is a transition month - often clearer than October. The Aurora Sky Station is open from September.
Crowds & cost
September marks the return of aurora tourism demand. Tromsø and Reykjavík see increasing bookings from mid-September. Prices are lower than winter peak but rising. Scotland is shoulder season - aurora tours are available but accommodation is not heavily booked. Booking three to four weeks ahead is usually sufficient in September.
Practical tip
The equinox effect peaks around 22 September but elevated activity continues through early October. A trip spanning the final two weeks of September into the first week of October catches both the equinox peak and the start of the full season at mid-latitude sites.
Current Kp level
Locations sorted by tonight's cloud cover within each group - clearest conditions first. Updated every 30 minutes.
Northern hemisphere
53 locations in good condition, 87 marginal.
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
Marginal conditions
These locations can see aurora in September but the window is narrow - nights may be short, the Kp requirement is high, or the seasonal conditions are at the edge of viable. A clear, dark night with elevated activity gives the best chance.
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
Southern hemisphere
Aurora australis locations visible in September. 7 in marginal condition.
Marginal conditions
Aurora australis is possible from these locations in September but not reliable. Nights are at the edge of sufficient darkness, and a clear sky with elevated Kp is required.
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
No locations match your search.
Common questions
Northern lights viewing in September.
