Aurora Borealis in Stockholm
Sweden · 59.33°, 18.07° · geomagnetic 58.0° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Stockholm
37%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Stockholm needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Stockholm
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 37%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Stockholm needs, which is normal rather than unlucky — it averages 2.4 viable nights a year. 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 Stockholm
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Stockholm
2.4 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
Wait for an alert; do not book a week
At Kp 7, Stockholm needs a severe geomagnetic storm before anything shows above the northern horizon. Storms that size arrive a handful of times per solar cycle and announce themselves a day or two ahead. Watching for one beats picking dates and hoping.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0 | 10.2 | 7.7 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 12.5 |
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 Stockholm horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 1,515,017 people around you, the sky over central Stockholm is Bortle 8. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 31 km north-east — around Österåkers kommun → Bortle 5
- 40 km east-south-east — around Värmdö kommun → 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, September, November and March came out ahead in Stockholm. 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 Stockholm 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, 885 km north-north-east in Finland.
| Stockholm | Rovaniemi | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 2.4 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.0° | 63.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
30 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Stockholm 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 Stockholm
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 Stockholm.
- Karlbergs Slottspark — park3.0 km west-north-west
- Lindarängsknösen — hill3.7 km east
- Hagaparken — park4.2 km north-north-west
- Loudden — headland4.3 km east-north-east
- Lappkärret — lake4.4 km north
- Ulvsundasjön — bay4.6 km west-north-west
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. Stockholm keeps its fortified past above ground, at Kaknästornet, Rosendal and Haga Castle, and for a day when the cloud sits low, Medelhavsmuseet, Hallwylska museet and Armemuseum 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
Staying central in Stockholm is fine for everything except the aurora itself — you will still need to drive out. If seeing it matters more than convenience, base yourself on the edge of town facing your dark spot.
- Hotel Dialog 0.1 km from the centre
- Scandic Sergel Plaza 0.2 km from the centre
- Berns 0.4 km from the centre
- Grand Hôtel Stockholm 0.4 km from the centre
- Hotel Terminus 0.5 km from the centre
- Esplanade Hotel - Stockholm 0.5 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 Stockholm and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
| 2026-01-20 | Kp 7.67 |
| 2026-01-19 | Kp 8.67 |
| 2025-11-12 | Kp 7.33 |
| 2025-11-11 | Kp 8.67 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Stockholm forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Stockholm
Can you see the aurora borealis from Stockholm?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Stockholm had about 2.4 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 Stockholm?
Kp 7. Stockholm sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.0°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 7. Storms that size occur about 3.2 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Stockholm?
September, November and March. 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 Stockholm never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Stockholm?
The centre of Stockholm reads Bortle 8. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 40 km east-south-east around Värmdö kommun. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Stockholm with reliable aurora borealis?
Rovaniemi, Finland — 885 km north-north-east. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 2.4 in Stockholm.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Stockholm.