Comparison
Haugesund vs Gjøvik for the northern lights
Answer
Side by side
| Figure | Haugesund | Gjøvik |
|---|---|---|
| Dipole latitude | 60.1° | 60.5° |
| Kp for the oval edge overhead | Kp 3 | Kp 3 |
| Civil night, December 15 | 15.9 h | 16.2 h |
| Dark-season days | 305 | 293 |
| Nights with no civil darkness | 0 | 29 |
| Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER | 80% | 73% |
| Solar midnight, December 15 | 00:34 | 00:12 |
Haugesund sits at 60.1 degrees geomagnetic, inside SWPC's 60 to 75 degree band, where aurora can be seen on more than half of all nights. No storm is needed: by SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 3. Gjøvik sits at 60.5 degrees geomagnetic, inside SWPC's 60 to 75 degree band, where aurora can be seen on more than half of all nights. No storm is needed: by SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 3.
Civil night month by month
On December 15 Haugesund has 15.9 hours of civil night and Gjøvik 16.2. Across the 15th of each month, Haugesund is darker in 6 months and Gjøvik in 4. The widest gap comes in June, when Haugesund has 1.8 more hours.
| Month | Haugesund | Gjøvik | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.2 h | 15.5 h | -0.3 h |
| February | 13.1 h | 13.2 h | -0.1 h |
| March | 10.7 h | 10.7 h | +0.0 h |
| April | 7.8 h | 7.5 h | +0.3 h |
| May | 4.7 h | 4.1 h | +0.6 h |
| June | 1.8 h | 0.0 h | +1.8 h |
| July | 3.4 h | 2.4 h | +1.0 h |
| August | 6.7 h | 6.3 h | +0.4 h |
| September | 9.7 h | 9.5 h | +0.2 h |
| October | 12.3 h | 12.3 h | +0.0 h |
| November | 14.6 h | 14.8 h | -0.2 h |
| December | 15.9 h | 16.2 h | -0.3 h |
Season and midnight sun
Haugesund has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 305 days. Gjøvik has no civil darkness from June 6 to July 4, 29 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 293 days.
Distance, cloud and time zones
The two towns are 337 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Gjøvik averages 73% cloud and Haugesund 80%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Haugesund's best month by civil night times clear sky is October. Gjøvik's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Time zones: Europe/Oslo and Europe/Oslo.
For tonight, open the live pages for Haugesund and Gjøvik, which carry the live OVATION cell.
Questions
- Is Haugesund or Gjøvik better for the northern lights?
- Gjøvik sits closer to the oval, at 60.5 degrees geomagnetic against 60.1. 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, Haugesund or Gjøvik?
- Gjøvik, with 16.2 hours of civil night on December 15 against 15.9 in Haugesund.
- What Kp do Haugesund and Gjøvik need?
- By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Haugesund needs about Kp 3 and Gjøvik Kp 3 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
- When is it too light for aurora in Haugesund and Gjøvik?
- Haugesund: never, every night has civil darkness. Gjøvik: June 6 to July 4.
- Which is clearer, Haugesund or Gjøvik?
- Gjøvik, with 73% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 80% in Haugesund (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.