Aurora Borealis in Reykjavík
Iceland · 64.14°, -21.90° · geomagnetic 68.9° · needs Kp 3
Tonight in Reykjavík
42%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Reykjavík 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 Reykjavík
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 42%. 4 of the seven reach the Kp 3 that Reykjavík 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
See all 30 nights for Reykjavík
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Reykjavík
113.3 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
Reykjavík 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.3 | 10.1 | 6.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.1 | 9.1 | 11.8 | 12.9 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from April to August
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Reykjavík horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Reykjavík reads Bortle 6. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 15 km north-north-east — around Reykjavik → Bortle 5
- 23 km north-east — around Kjósarhreppur → 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 Reykjavík. 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 Reykjavík 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
Akureyri is close enough to reach and return in a night — 249 km north-east — and needs only Kp 3.
| Reykjavík | Akureyri | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 3 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 113.3 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 68.9° | 69.7° |
Confirmed reports from this area
248 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Reykjavík 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 Reykjavík
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 Reykjavík.
- Grímsstaðaholt — hill3.0 km west
- Pórsnes — cape3.4 km north-east
- Sundabakki — hill3.4 km north-east
- Örfirisey — island3.5 km north-west
- Gufuneshöfði — headland3.5 km east-north-east
- Imagine Peace Tower, Videy Island — park3.6 km north-north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
What to do with the daylight
Aurora watching is a night job, and in winter that leaves a short, bright day to fill. For a day when the cloud sits low, Kjarvalsstadir, Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum and The Culture House - Museum are indoors and near by.
Keep the daylight loose: the sky decides the evening, and the forecast can turn within a few hours.
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Reykjavík will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Icelandair Hotel Klaustur 0.2 km from the centre
- Fosshotel Lind 0.4 km from the centre
- Radisson SAS Saga Hotel 0.4 km from the centre
- Home Luxury Apartments 0.4 km from the centre
- CenterHotel Skjaldbreid 0.4 km from the centre
- Odinsve 0.4 km from the centre
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — confirm before booking
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Reykjavík 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
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Reykjavík forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Reykjavík
Can you see the aurora borealis from Reykjavík?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Reykjavík had about 113.3 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 Reykjavík?
Kp 3. Reykjavík sits at geomagnetic latitude 68.9°, 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 Reykjavík?
March, September and October. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From April to August the sky over Reykjavík never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Reykjavík?
The centre of Reykjavík reads Bortle 6. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 23 km north-east around Kjósarhreppur. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Reykjavík with reliable aurora borealis?
Akureyri, Iceland — 249 km north-east. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 113.3 in Reykjavík.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Reykjavík.