Sweden · 18 towns
Aurora towns in Västra Götaland
Answer
Where the towns sit
The widest gap in the dipole ranking falls between Borås and Kinna, 0.2 degrees. 11 neighbouring pairs sit within 0.5 degrees of each other, close enough that the order between them means little.
Of the 12 indexed towns in Västra Götaland, 12 sit between 55 and 60 degrees, where G1 (Kp 5) or less usually brings aurora into view.
Ranked by December darkness
On December 15 the median town gets 15.6 hours of civil night, against 15.8 nationally. Mariestad has the most at 15.8 hours and Kungälv the least at 15.6. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.
Ranked by clear dark season
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology puts median cloud amount in the dark months at 75%, against 75% nationally. Uddevalla is clearest at 72% and Lidköping cloudiest at 77%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, October comes out best for 12 of the 12 towns. SWPC notes a tendency toward larger storms near the equinoxes, which this score does not include.
Every town
| Town | Dipole | Storm needed | Dec 15 night | Dark-month cloud | Best month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariestad | 58.0° | G1 or less | 15.8 h | 77% | Oct |
| Uddevalla | 58.0° | G1 or less | 15.7 h | 72% | Oct |
| Vänersborg * | 58.0° | G1 or less | 15.7 h | 76% | Oct |
| Lidköping | 58.0° | G1 or less | 15.7 h | 77% | Oct |
| Trollhättan | 57.9° | G1 or less | 15.7 h | 76% | Oct |
| Skövde | 57.7° | G1 or less | 15.7 h | 76% | Oct |
| Falköping | 57.6° | G1 or less | 15.7 h | 76% | Oct |
| Kungälv | 57.5° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 74% | Oct |
| Alingsås | 57.5° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
| Björlanda * | 57.5° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 74% | Oct |
| Lerum | 57.4° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
| Partille * | 57.4° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
| Gothenburg | 57.4° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 74% | Oct |
| Västra Frölunda * | 57.3° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 74% | Oct |
| Mölndal * | 57.3° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
| Mölnlycke * | 57.3° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
| Borås | 57.2° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
| Kinna | 57.1° | G1 or less | 15.6 h | 75% | Oct |
Questions
- Where in Västra Götaland is best for the aurora?
- By geomagnetic latitude, Mariestad at 58.0°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
- Which town in Västra Götaland has the longest December night?
- Mariestad, with 15.8 hours of civil night on December 15.
- Which town in Västra Götaland has the clearest dark season?
- Uddevalla, with 72% 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 Västra Götaland?
- October for 12 of 12 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/
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.