Aurora Borealis in Southern Peninsula
Iceland · 64.00°, -22.56° · geomagnetic 68.8° · needs Kp 3
Tonight in Southern Peninsula
42%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Southern Peninsula 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 Southern Peninsula
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 Southern Peninsula 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 Southern Peninsula
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Southern Peninsula
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
Southern Peninsula 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 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.2 | 9.2 | 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 Southern Peninsula horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Southern Peninsula reads Bortle 5. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 3 km east → Bortle 5
- 9 km west → 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 Southern Peninsula. 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 Southern Peninsula 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 — 282 km north-east — and needs only Kp 3.
| Southern Peninsula | Akureyri | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 3 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 113.3 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 68.8° | 69.7° |
Confirmed reports from this area
244 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Southern Peninsula 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 Southern Peninsula
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 Southern Peninsula.
- Hólmsberg — headland3.9 km north
- Gerðistangi — headland10.4 km east
- Garðskagi — lighthouse10.9 km north-west
- Garðskagi (historical) — lighthouse11.1 km north-west
- Vatnsleysuvík — bay18.3 km east
- Melshöfði — cape27.3 km east-north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Southern Peninsula will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Guesthouse 1X6 0.6 km from the centre
- Icelandair Hotel In Keflavik 0.6 km from the centre
- Nordic Guest House 0.7 km from the centre
- Icelandair Flughotel - Keflavik 0.8 km from the centre
- Hotel Berg 0.9 km from the centre
- Hotel Keflavik 1.0 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 Southern Peninsula 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 Southern Peninsula
All 2 places in Southern Peninsula with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- KeflavíkKp 3
- ReykjanesbærKp 3
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Southern Peninsula forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Southern Peninsula
Can you see the aurora borealis from Southern Peninsula?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Southern Peninsula 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 Southern Peninsula?
Kp 3. Southern Peninsula sits at geomagnetic latitude 68.8°, 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 Southern Peninsula?
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 Southern Peninsula never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Southern Peninsula?
The centre of Southern Peninsula reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 9 km west. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Southern Peninsula with reliable aurora borealis?
Akureyri, Iceland — 282 km north-east. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 113.3 in Southern Peninsula.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Southern Peninsula.