Is Syktyvkar or Ukhta better for the northern lights?

Ukhta sits closer to the oval, at 57.3 degrees geomagnetic against 55.8. 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, Syktyvkar or Ukhta?

Ukhta, with 16.8 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.4 in Syktyvkar.

What Kp do Syktyvkar and Ukhta need?

By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Syktyvkar needs about Kp 6 and Ukhta Kp 5 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.

When is it too light for aurora in Syktyvkar and Ukhta?

Syktyvkar: May 30 to July 12. Ukhta: May 20 to July 22.

Which is clearer, Syktyvkar or Ukhta?

Ukhta, with 76% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 77% in Syktyvkar (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Comparison

Syktyvkar vs Ukhta for the northern lights

Answer

Ukhta sits 1.5 degrees higher on the IGRF-14 dipole, 57.3 against 55.8. By SWPC's oval-edge rule Ukhta needs about Kp 5 for the average edge to sit overhead and Syktyvkar Kp 6. On the map Ukhta is also closer to the pole, by 1.9 degrees.

55.8° / 57.3°

dipole latitude

Side by side

Computed figures for both towns
Figure	Syktyvkar	Ukhta
Dipole latitude	55.8°	57.3°
Kp for the oval edge overhead	Kp 6	Kp 5
Civil night, December 15	16.4 h	16.8 h
Dark-season days	287	273
Nights with no civil darkness	44	64
Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER	77%	76%
Solar midnight, December 15	23:32	23:20

Syktyvkar sits at 55.8 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 6, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less. Ukhta sits at 57.3 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 Syktyvkar has 16.4 hours of civil night and Ukhta 16.8. Across the 15th of each month, Syktyvkar is darker in 5 months and Ukhta in 5. The widest gap comes in May, when Syktyvkar has 1.5 more hours.

Hours of civil night on the 15th of each month, 2026
Month	Syktyvkar	Ukhta	Difference
January	15.6 h	16.0 h	-0.4 h
February	13.3 h	13.4 h	-0.1 h
March	10.6 h	10.6 h	+0.0 h
April	7.4 h	7.0 h	+0.4 h
May	3.6 h	2.1 h	+1.5 h
June	0.0 h	0.0 h	+0.0 h
July	1.4 h	0.0 h	+1.4 h
August	6.1 h	5.4 h	+0.7 h
September	9.5 h	9.3 h	+0.2 h
October	12.3 h	12.4 h	-0.1 h
November	14.9 h	15.2 h	-0.3 h
December	16.4 h	16.8 h	-0.4 h

Difference: Syktyvkar minus Ukhta. Each figure links to that town's month page.

Season and midnight sun

Syktyvkar has no civil darkness from May 30 to July 12, 44 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 287 days. Ukhta has no civil darkness from May 20 to July 22, 64 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 273 days.

Distance, cloud and time zones

The two towns are 258 km apart by great circle. In the dark months both average about 77% cloud in NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Syktyvkar's best month by civil night times clear sky is February. Ukhta's best month by civil night times clear sky is February. Time zones: Europe/Moscow and Europe/Moscow.

For tonight, open the live pages for Syktyvkar and Ukhta, which carry the live OVATION cell.

Questions

Is Syktyvkar or Ukhta better for the northern lights?: Ukhta sits closer to the oval, at 57.3 degrees geomagnetic against 55.8. 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, Syktyvkar or Ukhta?: Ukhta, with 16.8 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.4 in Syktyvkar.
What Kp do Syktyvkar and Ukhta need?: By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Syktyvkar needs about Kp 6 and Ukhta Kp 5 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
When is it too light for aurora in Syktyvkar and Ukhta?: Syktyvkar: May 30 to July 12. Ukhta: May 20 to July 22.
Which is clearer, Syktyvkar or Ukhta?: Ukhta, with 76% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 77% in Syktyvkar (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.