Northern lights in Rovaniemi

Finland. Darkness calculated 24 October 2026 with Astronomy Engine 2.1.19 (MIT licence).

The capital of Finnish Lapland, right on the Arctic Circle, with an airport served by winter flights from across Europe. The sky here is dark enough for the aurora from September to March.

A swirl of green northern lights above snow-covered pine trees
The northern lights above Lake Inari, Finnish Lapland, March 2018. Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Month by month

Pick a month for dark-hour times, Moon dates and what to expect.

Hours of darkness, month by month

Hours with the Sun more than 12° below the horizon, on the 15th of each month
MonthDark hoursAurora possible?
January14.3 hYes, if active and clear
February11.7 hYes, if active and clear
March8.3 hYes, if active and clear
April2.3 hOnly a short dark spell
MaynoneNo: too light
JunenoneNo: too light
JulynoneNo: too light
AugustnoneNo: too light
September6.5 hYes, if active and clear
October10.5 hYes, if active and clear
November13.6 hYes, if active and clear
December15.1 hYes, if active and clear

The darkest weeks ahead

New Moons in the dark season. The week around each one has the least moonlight.

On the ground

The town is bright at night. Go a few kilometres out, to a lake shore or a clearing, for darker skies.

Whatever the month, check two forecasts on the day: the aurora forecast from NOAA and the cloud forecast for where you are. How to read the aurora forecast.

Full checklist for choosing a tour.

Other places: Tromsø, Abisko, Reykjavík, Fairbanks, Yellowknife, Inverness. Compare all seven.

Sources