Comparison
Reykjavík vs Yellowknife for the northern lights
Answer
Side by side
| Figure | Reykjavík | Yellowknife |
|---|---|---|
| Dipole latitude | 68.8° | 68.5° |
| Kp for the oval edge overhead | Kp 0 | Kp 0 |
| Civil night, December 15 | 17.0 h | 16.6 h |
| Dark-season days | 269 | 280 |
| Nights with no civil darkness | 70 | 53 |
| Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER | 79% | 62% |
| Solar midnight, December 15 | 01:23 | 01:33 |
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. Yellowknife sits at 68.5 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 0.
Civil night month by month
On December 15 Reykjavík has 17.0 hours of civil night and Yellowknife 16.6. Across the 15th of each month, Reykjavík is darker in 5 months and Yellowknife in 5. The widest gap comes in May, when Yellowknife has 1.8 more hours.
| Month | Reykjavík | Yellowknife | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16.1 h | 15.8 h | +0.3 h |
| February | 13.5 h | 13.3 h | +0.2 h |
| March | 10.5 h | 10.6 h | -0.1 h |
| April | 6.8 h | 7.2 h | -0.4 h |
| May | 1.2 h | 3.0 h | -1.8 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 | 5.9 h | -0.6 h |
| September | 9.2 h | 9.4 h | -0.2 h |
| October | 12.5 h | 12.4 h | +0.1 h |
| November | 15.4 h | 15.1 h | +0.3 h |
| December | 17.0 h | 16.6 h | +0.4 h |
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. Yellowknife has no civil darkness from May 25 to July 16, 53 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 280 days.
Distance, cloud and time zones
The two towns are 4,214 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Yellowknife averages 62% cloud and Reykjavík 79%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Reykjavík's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Yellowknife's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Time zones: Atlantic/Reykjavik and America/Edmonton.
For tonight, open the live pages for Reykjavík and Yellowknife, which carry the live OVATION cell.
Questions
- Is Reykjavík or Yellowknife better for the northern lights?
- Reykjavík sits closer to the oval, at 68.8 degrees geomagnetic against 68.5. 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, Reykjavík or Yellowknife?
- Reykjavík, with 17.0 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.6 in Yellowknife.
- What Kp do Reykjavík and Yellowknife need?
- By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Reykjavík needs about Kp 0 and Yellowknife Kp 0 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
- When is it too light for aurora in Reykjavík and Yellowknife?
- Reykjavík: May 17 to July 25. Yellowknife: May 25 to July 16.
- Which is clearer, Reykjavík or Yellowknife?
- Yellowknife, with 62% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 79% in Reykjavík (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.