Is Arkhangel'sk or Petrozavodsk better for the northern lights?

Arkhangel'sk sits closer to the oval, at 59.8 degrees geomagnetic against 57.9. Darkness, cloud and your dates decide the rest; the tables on this page show both towns month by month.

Which has longer nights in December, Arkhangel'sk or Petrozavodsk?

Arkhangel'sk, with 17.1 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.4 in Petrozavodsk.

What Kp do Arkhangel'sk and Petrozavodsk need?

By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Arkhangel'sk needs about Kp 4 and Petrozavodsk Kp 5 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.

When is it too light for aurora in Arkhangel'sk and Petrozavodsk?

Arkhangel'sk: May 15 to July 27. Petrozavodsk: May 29 to July 12.

Which is clearer, Arkhangel'sk or Petrozavodsk?

Petrozavodsk, with 78% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 79% in Arkhangel'sk (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Comparison

Arkhangel'sk vs Petrozavodsk for the northern lights

Answer

Arkhangel'sk sits 1.8 degrees higher on the IGRF-14 dipole, 59.8 against 57.9. By SWPC's oval-edge rule Arkhangel'sk needs about Kp 4 for the average edge to sit overhead and Petrozavodsk Kp 5. On the map Arkhangel'sk is also closer to the pole, by 2.8 degrees.

59.8° / 57.9°

dipole latitude

Side by side

Computed figures for both towns
Figure	Arkhangel'sk	Petrozavodsk
Dipole latitude	59.8°	57.9°
Kp for the oval edge overhead	Kp 4	Kp 5
Civil night, December 15	17.1 h	16.4 h
Dark-season days	267	285
Nights with no civil darkness	74	45
Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER	79%	78%
Solar midnight, December 15	00:13	00:38

Arkhangel'sk sits at 59.8 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 4, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less. Petrozavodsk sits at 57.9 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 5, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less.

Civil night month by month

On December 15 Arkhangel'sk has 17.1 hours of civil night and Petrozavodsk 16.4. Across the 15th of each month, Arkhangel'sk is darker in 5 months and Petrozavodsk in 6. The widest gap comes in May, when Petrozavodsk has 3.5 more hours.

Hours of civil night on the 15th of each month, 2026
Month	Arkhangel'sk	Petrozavodsk	Difference
January	16.2 h	15.7 h	+0.5 h
February	13.5 h	13.3 h	+0.2 h
March	10.5 h	10.6 h	-0.1 h
April	6.7 h	7.4 h	-0.7 h
May	0.0 h	3.5 h	-3.5 h
June	0.0 h	0.0 h	+0.0 h
July	0.0 h	1.2 h	-1.2 h
August	5.1 h	6.0 h	-0.9 h
September	9.2 h	9.4 h	-0.2 h
October	12.5 h	12.4 h	+0.1 h
November	15.4 h	15.0 h	+0.4 h
December	17.1 h	16.4 h	+0.7 h

Difference: Arkhangel'sk minus Petrozavodsk. Each figure links to that town's month page.

Season and midnight sun

Arkhangel'sk has no civil darkness from May 15 to July 27, 74 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 267 days. Petrozavodsk has no civil darkness from May 29 to July 12, 45 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 285 days.

Distance, cloud and time zones

The two towns are 437 km apart by great circle. In the dark months both average about 78% cloud in NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Arkhangel'sk's best month by civil night times clear sky is January. Petrozavodsk's best month by civil night times clear sky is January. Time zones: Europe/Moscow and Europe/Moscow.

For tonight, open the live pages for Arkhangel'sk and Petrozavodsk, which carry the live OVATION cell.

Questions

Is Arkhangel'sk or Petrozavodsk better for the northern lights?: Arkhangel'sk sits closer to the oval, at 59.8 degrees geomagnetic against 57.9. Darkness, cloud and your dates decide the rest; the tables on this page show both towns month by month.
Which has longer nights in December, Arkhangel'sk or Petrozavodsk?: Arkhangel'sk, with 17.1 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.4 in Petrozavodsk.
What Kp do Arkhangel'sk and Petrozavodsk need?: By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Arkhangel'sk needs about Kp 4 and Petrozavodsk Kp 5 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
When is it too light for aurora in Arkhangel'sk and Petrozavodsk?: Arkhangel'sk: May 15 to July 27. Petrozavodsk: May 29 to July 12.
Which is clearer, Arkhangel'sk or Petrozavodsk?: Petrozavodsk, with 78% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 79% in Arkhangel'sk (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Sources and verification

IGRF-14 coefficients, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
SunCalchttps://github.com/mourner/suncalc
GeoNameshttps://www.geonames.org/export/
NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
NOAA SWPC, Tips on viewing the aurorahttps://www.spaceweather.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora

Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.