Aurora Borealis in Finland
Finland · 61.35°, 24.90° · geomagnetic 58.8° · needs Kp 3
Tonight in Finland
38%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Finland needs Kp 3 before anything clears the northern horizon, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7 — comfortably over the line.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Finland
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 38%. 4 of the seven reach the Kp 3 that Finland needs, topping out at Kp 5.7. The 23 nights past the seven-day window move with the 27-day solar rotation and are updated daily in the app.
Nights 8–30 unlock in the Revon app
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Finland
120.3 nights a year, averaged across 10.0 years of records
| Storm level | Nights / year |
|---|---|
| Kp 4 | 83.4 |
| Kp 5 | 28.7 |
| Kp 6 | 9.3 |
| Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Kp 8 | 1.2 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
You are inside the auroral oval
Finland sits far enough northern that quiet conditions are enough. What limits you here is cloud and moonlight, not geomagnetic activity.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.1 | 10.2 | 7.4 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 9.3 | 11.7 | 12.7 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from May to August
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Finland horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Finland is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 4. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 12 km south-south-east — around Hämeenlinna → Bortle 4
- 12 km south-south-east — around Hämeenlinna → Bortle 4
Falchi 2016 World Atlas (DOI: 10.5880/GFZ.1.4.2016.001)
The months that actually deliver
Counting only nights that were both stormy enough and dark enough, March, September and October came out ahead in Finland. That is storm season and darkness overlapping — the equinoxes tend to be geomagnetically active, and the nights are already long by then.
Darkest nights of the coming year
A bright moon washes out a weak display as effectively as street lighting. These new moons fall inside the Finland viewing season.
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
- 08 Mar 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Rovaniemi, 574 km north in Finland.
| Finland | Rovaniemi | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 3 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 120.3 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.8° | 63.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
166 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Finland between 2015-01-01 and 2016-12-31. Rare is not the same as impossible.
Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Where the horizon opens up near Finland
The display sits low on the northern horizon, so what beats a better forecast is open ground facing that way. Height gets you above the town glow; water gives you an unbroken skyline. These are within a short drive of Finland.
- Keitaansaari — island3.1 km east-north-east
- Ristamäki — hill3.3 km west-north-west
- Kouramäki — hill3.3 km east
- Vähäjärvi — lake3.5 km west
- Palsanniemi — headland4.9 km east-north-east
- Saukonsaari — island5.3 km north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Places to watch from
Named viewpoints and reserves near Finland that sit outside the worst of the light. Each puts the northern horizon over open ground instead of over rooftops.
- Hirvikallio 16.5 km
- Kivi josta näkee järvelle 18.8 km
- Vuorenharjun Näköalatorni 26.8 km
- Vähä-Evon Niinimäen lehmusalue 12.9 km
- Lepoleirin luonnonsuojelualue 13.6 km
Places from OpenStreetMap contributors
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Finland and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-30 | Kp 3.0 |
| 2026-03-29 | Kp 3.33 |
| 2026-03-28 | Kp 3.67 |
| 2026-03-27 | Kp 3.33 |
| 2026-03-26 | Kp 3.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Finland
All 18 regions in Finland with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- Central FinlandKp 5
- Central OstrobothniaKp 5
- KainuuKp 5
- Kanta-HämeKp 5
- KymenlaaksoKp 5
- LaplandKp 3
- North KareliaKp 5
- North OstrobothniaKp 5
- North SavoKp 5
- OstrobothniaKp 5
- Paijat-HameKp 5
- PirkanmaaKp 5
- SatakuntaKp 5
- South KareliaKp 5
- South OstrobothniaKp 5
- South SavoKp 5
- Southwest FinlandKp 5
- UusimaaKp 5
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Finland forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Finland
Can you see the aurora borealis from Finland?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Finland had about 120.3 nights a year when the storm was strong enough and the sky dark enough at the same time.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in Finland?
Kp 3. Finland sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.8°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 3.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Finland?
March, September and October. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From May to August the sky over Finland never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Finland?
The centre of Finland reads Bortle 4. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 12 km south-south-east around Hämeenlinna. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Finland with reliable aurora borealis?
Rovaniemi, Finland — 574 km north. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 120.3 in Finland.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Finland.