Is Reykjavík or Akureyri better for the northern lights?

Akureyri sits closer to the oval, at 69.7 degrees geomagnetic against 68.8. 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, Reykjavík or Akureyri?

Akureyri, with 17.5 hours of civil night on December 15 against 17.0 in Reykjavík.

What Kp do Reykjavík and Akureyri need?

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

When is it too light for aurora in Reykjavík and Akureyri?

Reykjavík: May 17 to July 25. Akureyri: May 10 to July 31.

Which is clearer, Reykjavík or Akureyri?

Reykjavík, with 79% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 82% in Akureyri (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Comparison

Reykjavík vs Akureyri for the northern lights

Answer

Akureyri sits 0.9 degrees higher on the IGRF-14 dipole, 69.7 against 68.8. By SWPC's oval-edge rule Akureyri needs about Kp 0 for the average edge to sit overhead and Reykjavík Kp 0. On the map Akureyri is also closer to the pole, by 1.5 degrees.

68.8° / 69.7°

dipole latitude

Side by side

Computed figures for both towns
Figure	Reykjavík	Akureyri
Dipole latitude	68.8°	69.7°
Kp for the oval edge overhead	Kp 0	Kp 0
Civil night, December 15	17.0 h	17.5 h
Dark-season days	269	261
Nights with no civil darkness	70	83
Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER	79%	82%
Solar midnight, December 15	01:23	01:07

Reykjavík sits at 68.8 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 0. Akureyri sits at 69.7 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 0.

Civil night month by month

On December 15 Reykjavík has 17.0 hours of civil night and Akureyri 17.5. Across the 15th of each month, Reykjavík is darker in 5 months and Akureyri in 4. The widest gap comes in May, when Reykjavík has 1.2 more hours.

Hours of civil night on the 15th of each month, 2026
Month	Reykjavík	Akureyri	Difference
January	16.1 h	16.5 h	-0.4 h
February	13.5 h	13.6 h	-0.1 h
March	10.5 h	10.4 h	+0.1 h
April	6.8 h	6.4 h	+0.4 h
May	1.2 h	0.0 h	+1.2 h
June	0.0 h	0.0 h	+0.0 h
July	0.0 h	0.0 h	+0.0 h
August	5.3 h	4.6 h	+0.7 h
September	9.2 h	9.0 h	+0.2 h
October	12.5 h	12.5 h	+0.0 h
November	15.4 h	15.7 h	-0.3 h
December	17.0 h	17.5 h	-0.5 h

Difference: Reykjavík minus Akureyri. Each figure links to that town's month page.

Season and midnight sun

Reykjavík has no civil darkness from May 17 to July 25, 70 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 269 days. Akureyri has no civil darkness from May 10 to July 31, 83 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 261 days.

Distance, cloud and time zones

The two towns are 249 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Reykjavík averages 79% cloud and Akureyri 82%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Reykjavík's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Akureyri's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Time zones: Atlantic/Reykjavik and Atlantic/Reykjavik.

For tonight, open the live pages for Reykjavík and Akureyri, which carry the live OVATION cell.

Questions

Is Reykjavík or Akureyri better for the northern lights?: Akureyri sits closer to the oval, at 69.7 degrees geomagnetic against 68.8. 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, Reykjavík or Akureyri?: Akureyri, with 17.5 hours of civil night on December 15 against 17.0 in Reykjavík.
What Kp do Reykjavík and Akureyri need?: By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Reykjavík needs about Kp 0 and Akureyri Kp 0 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
When is it too light for aurora in Reykjavík and Akureyri?: Reykjavík: May 17 to July 25. Akureyri: May 10 to July 31.
Which is clearer, Reykjavík or Akureyri?: Reykjavík, with 79% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 82% in Akureyri (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.