61 towns · northern lights
Aurora towns in Denmark
Answer
Where the towns sit
Of the 33 indexed towns in Denmark, 33 sit between 55 and 60 degrees, where G1 (Kp 5) or less usually brings aurora into view.
Darkness and cloud
On December 15 the median town gets 15.3 hours of civil night. Hjørring has the most at 15.5 hours and Esbjerg the least at 15.2. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology puts median cloud amount in the dark months at 70%. Kalundborg is clearest at 68% and Sønderborg cloudiest at 75%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.
Best month, town by town
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, October comes out best for 16 of the 33 towns and April for 9. SWPC notes a tendency toward larger storms near the equinoxes, which this score does not include.
Every town
| Town | Region | Dipole | Storm needed | Dec 15 night | Dark-month cloud | Best month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hjørring | North Denmark | 57.5° | G1 or less | 15.5 h | 75% | Sep |
| Frederikshavn | North Denmark | 57.4° | G1 or less | 15.5 h | 74% | Oct |
| Nørresundby * | North Denmark | 57.1° | G1 or less | 15.5 h | 75% | Sep |
| Aalborg | North Denmark | 57.1° | G1 or less | 15.5 h | 75% | Sep |
| Skive | Central Jutland | 56.8° | G1 or less | 15.4 h | 69% | Oct |
| Holstebro | Central Jutland | 56.6° | G1 or less | 15.4 h | 69% | Oct |
| Viborg | Central Jutland | 56.6° | G1 or less | 15.4 h | 69% | Oct |
| Randers | Central Jutland | 56.5° | G1 or less | 15.4 h | 71% | Oct |
| Herning | Central Jutland | 56.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 69% | Oct |
| Silkeborg | Central Jutland | 56.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 69% | Oct |
| Tilst * | Central Jutland | 56.2° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 71% | Oct |
| Århus | Central Jutland | 56.2° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 71% | Oct |
| Viby * | Central Jutland | 56.2° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 71% | Oct |
| Horsens | Central Jutland | 56.0° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 71% | Apr |
| Hedensted * | Central Jutland | 55.9° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 71% | Apr |
| Vejle | South Denmark | 55.9° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 71% | Apr |
| Esbjerg | South Denmark | 55.8° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 71% | Apr |
| Fredericia | South Denmark | 55.7° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 71% | Apr |
| Helsingør * | Capital Region | 55.7° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 75% | Sep |
| Kolding | South Denmark | 55.7° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 71% | Apr |
| Middelfart * | South Denmark | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 71% | Apr |
| Hillerød * | Capital Region | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Karlebo * | Capital Region | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Kalundborg | Zealand | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 68% | Oct |
| Frederikssund * | Capital Region | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Lillerød * | Capital Region | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Allerød * | Capital Region | 55.6° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Hørsholm | Capital Region | 55.5° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Birkerød * | Capital Region | 55.5° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Holbæk | Zealand | 55.5° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 68% | Oct |
| Farum * | Capital Region | 55.5° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Stenløse | Capital Region | 55.5° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Virum * | Capital Region | 55.5° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Ballerup * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Haderslev | South Denmark | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 71% | Apr |
| Odense | South Denmark | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
| Charlottenlund * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Roskilde | Zealand | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Hedehusene * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Rødovre * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Taastrup * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Glostrup * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Albertslund * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Frederiksberg * | Capital Region | 55.4° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Copenhagen | Capital Region | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Brøndbyvester * | Capital Region | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Hvidovre * | Capital Region | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Vallensbæk * | Capital Region | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Ishøj * | Capital Region | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Avedøre * | Capital Region | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.3 h | 70% | Sep |
| Greve | Zealand | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 70% | Sep |
| Nyborg | South Denmark | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
| Slagelse | Zealand | 55.3° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
| Ringsted | Zealand | 55.2° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
| Aabenraa | South Denmark | 55.2° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 71% | Apr |
| Tønder | South Denmark | 55.2° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 75% | Apr |
| Køge | Zealand | 55.2° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 70% | Sep |
| Svendborg | South Denmark | 55.1° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
| Sønderborg | South Denmark | 55.0° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 75% | Apr |
| Næstved * | Zealand | 55.0° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
| Klinteby Frihed | Zealand | 55.0° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 68% | Oct |
Regions
The towns fall in 5 first-level regions. Capital Region has 25, South Denmark has 12, Central Jutland has 11, Zealand has 9. Regions with at least 5 indexed towns have their own page with three rankings.
- Capital Region25 towns
- South Denmark12 towns
- Central Jutland11 towns
- Zealand9 towns
- North Denmark4 towns
Questions
- Where in Denmark is best for the aurora?
- By geomagnetic latitude, Hjørring at 57.5°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
- Which town in Denmark has the longest December night?
- Hjørring, with 15.5 hours of civil night on December 15.
- Which town in Denmark has the clearest dark season?
- Kalundborg, with 68% mean cloud amount in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).
- What is the best month for aurora in Denmark?
- October for 16 of 33 towns, by civil night times the clear share of the sky. Each town page gives its own month.
Sources and verification
- GeoNames dump (CC BY 4.0)https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/
- IGRF-14, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
- NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
- NOAA SWPC, Aurorahttps://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/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.