Comparison
Örebro vs Jönköping for the northern lights
Answer
Side by side
| Figure | Örebro | Jönköping |
|---|---|---|
| Dipole latitude | 58.4° | 57.1° |
| Kp for the oval edge overhead | Kp 4 | Kp 5 |
| Civil night, December 15 | 15.9 h | 15.6 h |
| Dark-season days | 307 | 323 |
| Nights with no civil darkness | 0 | 0 |
| Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER | 75% | 72% |
| Solar midnight, December 15 | 23:54 | 23:58 |
Örebro sits at 58.4 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. Jönköping sits at 57.1 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 Örebro has 15.9 hours of civil night and Jönköping 15.6. Across the 15th of each month, Örebro is darker in 5 months and Jönköping in 7. The widest gap comes in June, when Jönköping has 1.2 more hours.
| Month | Örebro | Jönköping | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.2 h | 15.0 h | +0.2 h |
| February | 13.1 h | 13.0 h | +0.1 h |
| March | 10.7 h | 10.8 h | -0.1 h |
| April | 7.8 h | 8.0 h | -0.2 h |
| May | 4.7 h | 5.3 h | -0.6 h |
| June | 2.0 h | 3.2 h | -1.2 h |
| July | 3.5 h | 4.3 h | -0.8 h |
| August | 6.7 h | 7.0 h | -0.3 h |
| September | 9.7 h | 9.8 h | -0.1 h |
| October | 12.3 h | 12.2 h | +0.1 h |
| November | 14.6 h | 14.4 h | +0.2 h |
| December | 15.9 h | 15.6 h | +0.3 h |
Season and midnight sun
Örebro has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 307 days. Jönköping has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 323 days.
Distance, cloud and time zones
The two towns are 177 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Jönköping averages 72% cloud and Örebro 75%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Örebro's best month by civil night times clear sky is October. Jönköping's best month by civil night times clear sky is October. Time zones: Europe/Stockholm and Europe/Stockholm.
For tonight, open the live pages for Örebro and Jönköping, which carry the live OVATION cell.
Questions
- Is Örebro or Jönköping better for the northern lights?
- Örebro sits closer to the oval, at 58.4 degrees geomagnetic against 57.1. 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, Örebro or Jönköping?
- Örebro, with 15.9 hours of civil night on December 15 against 15.6 in Jönköping.
- What Kp do Örebro and Jönköping need?
- By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Örebro needs about Kp 4 and Jönköping Kp 5 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
- When is it too light for aurora in Örebro and Jönköping?
- Örebro: never, every night has civil darkness. Jönköping: never, every night has civil darkness.
- Which is clearer, Örebro or Jönköping?
- Jönköping, with 72% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 75% in Örebro (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.