Is Lillehammer or Molde better for the northern lights?

Molde sits closer to the oval, at 62.9 degrees geomagnetic against 60.9. 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, Lillehammer or Molde?

Molde, with 16.6 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.2 in Lillehammer.

What Kp do Lillehammer and Molde need?

By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Lillehammer needs about Kp 3 and Molde Kp 2 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.

When is it too light for aurora in Lillehammer and Molde?

Lillehammer: June 3 to July 7. Molde: May 24 to July 18.

Which is clearer, Lillehammer or Molde?

Lillehammer, with 74% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 83% in Molde (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Comparison

Lillehammer vs Molde for the northern lights

Answer

Molde sits 2.1 degrees higher on the IGRF-14 dipole, 62.9 against 60.9. By SWPC's oval-edge rule Molde needs about Kp 2 for the average edge to sit overhead and Lillehammer Kp 3. On the map Molde is also closer to the pole, by 1.6 degrees.

60.9° / 62.9°

dipole latitude

Side by side

Computed figures for both towns
Figure	Lillehammer	Molde
Dipole latitude	60.9°	62.9°
Kp for the oval edge overhead	Kp 3	Kp 2
Civil night, December 15	16.2 h	16.6 h
Dark-season days	291	279
Nights with no civil darkness	35	56
Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER	74%	83%
Solar midnight, December 15	00:13	00:26

Lillehammer sits at 60.9 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. Molde sits at 62.9 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 2.

Civil night month by month

On December 15 Lillehammer has 16.2 hours of civil night and Molde 16.6. Across the 15th of each month, Lillehammer is darker in 6 months and Molde in 5. The widest gap comes in July, when Lillehammer has 2.1 more hours.

Hours of civil night on the 15th of each month, 2026
Month	Lillehammer	Molde	Difference
January	15.5 h	15.8 h	-0.3 h
February	13.2 h	13.3 h	-0.1 h
March	10.7 h	10.6 h	+0.1 h
April	7.5 h	7.1 h	+0.4 h
May	3.9 h	2.9 h	+1.0 h
June	0.0 h	0.0 h	+0.0 h
July	2.1 h	0.0 h	+2.1 h
August	6.2 h	5.8 h	+0.4 h
September	9.5 h	9.4 h	+0.1 h
October	12.3 h	12.4 h	-0.1 h
November	14.9 h	15.1 h	-0.2 h
December	16.2 h	16.6 h	-0.4 h

Difference: Lillehammer minus Molde. Each figure links to that town's month page.

Season and midnight sun

Lillehammer has no civil darkness from June 3 to July 7, 35 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 291 days. Molde has no civil darkness from May 24 to July 18, 56 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 279 days.

Distance, cloud and time zones

The two towns are 250 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Lillehammer averages 74% cloud and Molde 83%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Lillehammer's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Molde'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 Lillehammer and Molde, which carry the live OVATION cell.

Questions

Is Lillehammer or Molde better for the northern lights?: Molde sits closer to the oval, at 62.9 degrees geomagnetic against 60.9. 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, Lillehammer or Molde?: Molde, with 16.6 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.2 in Lillehammer.
What Kp do Lillehammer and Molde need?: By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Lillehammer needs about Kp 3 and Molde Kp 2 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
When is it too light for aurora in Lillehammer and Molde?: Lillehammer: June 3 to July 7. Molde: May 24 to July 18.
Which is clearer, Lillehammer or Molde?: Lillehammer, with 74% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 83% in Molde (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.