Is Petrozavodsk or Kolpino better for the northern lights?

Petrozavodsk sits closer to the oval, at 57.9 degrees geomagnetic against 56.5. 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, Petrozavodsk or Kolpino?

Petrozavodsk, with 16.4 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.0 in Kolpino.

What Kp do Petrozavodsk and Kolpino need?

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

When is it too light for aurora in Petrozavodsk and Kolpino?

Petrozavodsk: May 29 to July 12. Kolpino: never, every night has civil darkness.

Which is clearer, Petrozavodsk or Kolpino?

Kolpino, with 75% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 78% in Petrozavodsk (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Comparison

Petrozavodsk vs Kolpino for the northern lights

Answer

Petrozavodsk sits 1.4 degrees higher on the IGRF-14 dipole, 57.9 against 56.5. By SWPC's oval-edge rule Petrozavodsk needs about Kp 5 for the average edge to sit overhead and Kolpino Kp 5. On the map Petrozavodsk is also closer to the pole, by 2.0 degrees.

57.9° / 56.5°

dipole latitude

Side by side

Computed figures for both towns
Figure	Petrozavodsk	Kolpino
Dipole latitude	57.9°	56.5°
Kp for the oval edge overhead	Kp 5	Kp 5
Civil night, December 15	16.4 h	16.0 h
Dark-season days	285	301
Nights with no civil darkness	45	0
Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER	78%	75%
Solar midnight, December 15	00:38	00:53

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. Kolpino sits at 56.5 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 Petrozavodsk has 16.4 hours of civil night and Kolpino 16.0. Across the 15th of each month, Petrozavodsk is darker in 5 months and Kolpino in 7. The widest gap comes in July, when Kolpino has 2.0 more hours.

Hours of civil night on the 15th of each month, 2026
Month	Petrozavodsk	Kolpino	Difference
January	15.7 h	15.3 h	+0.4 h
February	13.3 h	13.1 h	+0.2 h
March	10.6 h	10.7 h	-0.1 h
April	7.4 h	7.7 h	-0.3 h
May	3.5 h	4.5 h	-1.0 h
June	0.0 h	1.4 h	-1.4 h
July	1.2 h	3.2 h	-2.0 h
August	6.0 h	6.6 h	-0.6 h
September	9.4 h	9.6 h	-0.2 h
October	12.4 h	12.3 h	+0.1 h
November	15.0 h	14.7 h	+0.3 h
December	16.4 h	16.0 h	+0.4 h

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

Season and midnight sun

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. Kolpino has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 301 days.

Distance, cloud and time zones

The two towns are 305 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Kolpino averages 75% cloud and Petrozavodsk 78%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Petrozavodsk's best month by civil night times clear sky is January. Kolpino's best month by civil night times clear sky is March. Time zones: Europe/Moscow and Europe/Moscow.

For tonight, open the live pages for Petrozavodsk and Kolpino, which carry the live OVATION cell.

Questions

Is Petrozavodsk or Kolpino better for the northern lights?: Petrozavodsk sits closer to the oval, at 57.9 degrees geomagnetic against 56.5. 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, Petrozavodsk or Kolpino?: Petrozavodsk, with 16.4 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.0 in Kolpino.
What Kp do Petrozavodsk and Kolpino need?: By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Petrozavodsk needs about Kp 5 and Kolpino Kp 5 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
When is it too light for aurora in Petrozavodsk and Kolpino?: Petrozavodsk: May 29 to July 12. Kolpino: never, every night has civil darkness.
Which is clearer, Petrozavodsk or Kolpino?: Kolpino, with 75% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 78% in Petrozavodsk (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.