is the aurora visible?

Tromsø tonight: Yes — very likely. Get outside.

Conditions are on your side

8.4/10

Tonight, hour by hour (local time)

  1. 17:00Kp 6
  2. 20:00Kp 6
  3. 23:00Kp 6
  4. 02:00Kp 6
  • Dark skyDark sky: 100%
    How dark the sky gets at the best moment tonight — the sun must sit well below the horizon. Midnight sun drags this to zero, polar night keeps it at 100%.
  • Solar activitySolar activity: 100%
    Forecast geomagnetic activity (Kp) measured against what this location needs for overhead aurora. Full bar means the oval should reach you.
  • Clear skyClear sky: 84%
    How much sky the clouds leave open. Low cloud blocks the view completely; thin, high cirrus only softens it.
  • MoonlightMoonlight: 100%
    A bright moon above the horizon washes out faint detail. It dims a display, but never hides a strong one.

Forecast assembled 16:18 UTC. Refreshes every 30 minutes.

The next seven nights

  1. Tonight8.4 
  2. Sun 11 Oct2.4 
  3. Mon 12 Oct10.0 
  4. Tue 13 Oct0.6rough estimate
  5. Wed 14 Oct0.0rough estimate
  6. Thu 15 Oct0.0rough estimate
  7. Fri 16 Oct0.0rough estimate

The first three nights use NOAA's detailed Kp forecast. Beyond that, scores lean on the rougher 27-day outlook — treat them as a tendency, not a promise. Planning further ahead? See the best time of year for Tromsø.

Conditions right now

1°CAir temperature
10 km/hWind
33%Cloud cover now

The aurora capital of the Arctic

Tromsø sits directly under the auroral oval, 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. Even on geomagnetically quiet nights the lights often appear overhead — the real question here is almost always the clouds, not the sun.

Where to watch from

Check the sky yourself

Live cameras near Tromsø:

Common questions

Do I need a strong solar storm to see the aurora in Tromsø?

No. Tromsø lies under the auroral oval, so even Kp 1-2 nights regularly produce overhead displays. Clouds are the limiting factor far more often than solar activity.

When is the aurora season in Tromsø?

Roughly 10 September to 10 April. From mid-May to late July the midnight sun makes the sky too bright for any aurora at all.

Is it worth joining a chase tour instead of watching from the city?

On cloudy nights, yes — guides drive toward gaps in the cloud, often inland toward the Finnish border where skies are statistically clearer.