Best Time to See Aurora in Iceland
Darkness windows, moon phases and peak viewing hours — plus tonight's live window for your location.
⏰ Tonight's Viewing Window
Live – Updates automatically🗓️ Best Season to Visit Iceland for Aurora
The aurora only appears in darkness — which means Iceland's legendary summer midnight sun completely prevents viewing from around late April to mid-August. The aurora season runs from late August through April, with the peak months being October–February.
September–October
Rapidly increasing darkness. Active aurora season begins. Clear skies relatively common. Shoulder season prices.
November–January
Maximum darkness — up to 19 hours in Reykjavík. Cold but best chances for all-night displays. Peak tourist season.
February–March
Statistically the most aurora active months globally. Longer days returning but still plenty of darkness. Good balance.
April
Last chance of the season. Early April still has usable darkness. Display quality can be excellent but nights are short.
🕙 Best Hours of the Night
The aurora is most frequently active around geomagnetic midnight — roughly 22:00–02:00 local time in Iceland. This is when the auroral zone passes directly overhead.
However, substorms can trigger at any time. The habit of successful aurora hunters is to be outside during the full dark window and to monitor the forecast with a live app rather than going out on a schedule.
🌕 How Moon Phase Affects the Aurora
The Moon doesn't affect whether the aurora appears, but it affects how dramatic it looks:
- New moon (🌑): Maximum darkness. Faint arcs are visible. Best for photography.
- Quarter moon (🌗): Moderate impact. Strong displays still impressive but faint ones hard to see.
- Full moon (🌕): Sky is quite bright. Only medium-to-strong displays are easily visible. Not ideal but a strong Kp-5+ storm will still be spectacular.
📍 Best Viewing Locations in Iceland
Any dark location away from city lights works. Iceland's relatively compact road network makes this easy:
- Þingvellir National Park – 40 min from Reykjavík, dramatic landscape, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Kleifarvatn – 20 min from Reykjavík, volcanic lake, very dark skies
- Grótta Lighthouse – On the Reykjavík peninsula, surprisingly dark for a city location
- Þórsmörk – Remote highland valley, spectacular backdrop
- Snæfellsnes Peninsula – Glacier, lava fields, minimal light pollution
- Anywhere in Akureyri area – The north of Iceland sits higher in the auroral zone
📸 Photography Tips
- Use a wide-angle lens (14–24mm), aperture f/2.8 or wider
- ISO 800–3200 depending on brightness of display
- Shutter speed 2–15 seconds (shorter for fast-moving aurora)
- Bring a tripod — no aurora photos without one
- Dress in extreme cold-weather layers — you'll be standing outside for hours
- Charge your phone and camera — cold batteries drain fast
Get notified when it's actually worth going outside.
AuroraVision sends you a push notification the moment conditions reach your threshold — so you never miss a display.
