Aurora Tonight
The current Kp, NOAA's 3-day Kp forecast, and which live northern lights cams are dark and clear right now.
Which cams to watch right now
Dark now first, then least cloud. Dark means the sun is more than 12° below the horizon at the camera. Cloud cover is Open-Meteo's current model value for that spot.
- Fairbanks All-Sky Cam — Alaska Fairbanks, AK Dark (sun below −12°) until 6:52 AM AKDT
- Finnish Lapland All-Sky Cam Posio, Finland Dark (sun below −12°): 7:47 PM GMT+3 – 6:07 AM GMT+3
- Tromsø, Norway (69°N) Tromso, Norway Dark (sun below −12°): 7:27 PM GMT+2 – 5:37 AM GMT+2
- Finse Glacier Plateau, Norway Finse, Norway Dark (sun below −12°): 8:02 PM GMT+2 – 6:37 AM GMT+2
- Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway Dark (sun below −12°): 8:12 PM GMT+2 – 6:47 AM GMT+2
- Oslo, Norway Oslo, Norway Dark (sun below −12°): 7:47 PM GMT+2 – 6:22 AM GMT+2
- Hamar, Norway Hamar, Norway Dark (sun below −12°): 7:47 PM GMT+2 – 6:22 AM GMT+2
- Kirkjufell, Iceland Grundarfjorur, Iceland Dark (sun below −12°): 8:12 PM GMT – 6:37 AM GMT
- Reykjavik Harbour, Iceland Reykjavik, Iceland Dark (sun below −12°): 8:02 PM GMT – 6:32 AM GMT
- Reykjavik Skyline, Iceland Reykjavík, Iceland Dark (sun below −12°): 8:02 PM GMT – 6:32 AM GMT
- Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland Dark (sun below −12°): 8:07 PM GMT – 6:32 AM GMT
- Northeast Iceland Northeast Iceland Dark (sun below −12°): 7:47 PM GMT – 6:07 AM GMT
- Westfjords, Iceland ingeyri, Iceland Dark (sun below −12°): 8:12 PM GMT – 6:32 AM GMT
Also: NOAA aurora forecast map (model image, not a camera).
Kp forecast, next 3 days
Forecast as of 2026-10-12 07:12 UTC from NOAA SWPC. Each cell is a 3-hour period in UTC.
All-Sky Aurora Cameras (2 live streams)
Wide-angle cameras pointed at the sky, away from city lights.
Norway (5 cams)
Tromsø (69°N) sits under the auroral oval; the southern cams need a stronger storm.
Iceland (6 cams)
Iceland sits on the southern edge of the auroral oval. Kp 3+ recommended.
How to Watch the Northern Lights Live
Step 1 — Check the Kp index
The Kp index (0–9) measures geomagnetic activity. Higher Kp means more aurora, visible further south. The current value and NOAA's forecast are at the top of this page. Rough guide by location:
| Location | Latitude | Kp needed | Best months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tromsø / Lofoten, Norway | 68–69°N | Kp 1–2 | Oct–Mar |
| Finnish Lapland | 66–68°N | Kp 2–3 | Sep–Mar |
| Iceland | 64–66°N | Kp 3–4 | Sep–Mar |
| Fairbanks, Alaska | 65°N | Kp 2–3 | Aug–Apr |
| Reykjavik / Bergen / Oslo | 59–64°N | Kp 4–5 | Nov–Feb |
Step 2 — Pick a camera that is dark and clear
Use the list at the top: it puts cameras in darkness with the least cloud first. Aurora needs both. The all-sky cams in Fairbanks and Finnish Lapland are about ten time zones apart, so one is often in darkness when the other is not.
The Windy city cams (Tromsø, Bergen, Oslo, Reykjavik) refresh still images every few minutes and show aurora only when it is bright enough to see over city lights.
Step 3 — Know when to look
Aurora is usually strongest around local magnetic midnight, roughly 11pm–1am at these locations. Each camera's dark hours are listed above.
Why is the camera dark?
- No aurora activity — Kp is low. Check the forecast above.
- Cloud cover — the most common obstacle. Check the cloud figure for that camera above.
- Midnight sun — from mid-May to late July the sky does not get dark enough at these latitudes.
- Refresh rate — Windy city cams are still images that update every few minutes. The YouTube all-sky streams are live video.
FAQ
Can I watch the aurora in summer?
Not at these latitudes. The sun does not set far enough from May through July, so the sky stays too bright. The season runs roughly late August through late April.
What do the G1–G5 labels mean?
NOAA's geomagnetic storm scale: G1 (minor) starts at Kp 5, up to G5 (extreme) at Kp 9. Stronger storms push the aurora further from the poles.
Related: Aurora cams → · Iceland webcam guide → · Norway webcam guide → · Browse all cameras →