The best time to see the northern lights
Geomagnetic storms come most often around the equinoxes in March and September, and near the Arctic Circle the nights are dark from late August to mid-April. 2026 is year 7 of solar cycle 25; so far this year 51 days have reached Kp 5 or more.
Best time of year
Share of days with Kp 5 or more, by month (1996–2025)
Storms are most frequent around the equinoxes (March–April and September–October), when the Earth's magnetic field couples best with the solar wind; in the far north the season is also set by darkness, which disappears from May to July.
Hours of darkness a night, by latitude
Hours with the Sun more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sky never gets dark enough for the aurora.
The solar cycle
Days with Kp 5 or more per year. The Sun's activity rises and falls over about eleven years. The cycle that peaked in 2024–2025 brought the strongest storm in two decades on 10–11 May 2024, with the lights seen far beyond their usual range; strong storms stay frequent for a few years after a maximum.
The most active years since 1932
days with Kp 5 or more