Northern lights in Tromsø in December
Norway. Figures for December 2026, calculated by us. Times are local.
Go
Yes: long, dark nights. In mid-December the sky is dark enough for the aurora from about 15:36 to 07:42, 15.8 hours a night.
Darkness through the month
- 1 December: 15.3 hours of darkness.
- 15 December: 15.8 hours.
- End of December: 15.8 hours. The nights are about the same through the month.
- Around the middle of the month the Sun does not rise at all: this is the polar night. There are still some hours of twilight around midday.
“Dark” here means the Sun is more than 12° below the horizon. Faint aurora needs a darker sky; a strong display can show earlier in the evening.
The Moon in December 2026
- New Moon: 9 December 2026. The week around it has the darkest skies.
- Full Moon: 24 December 2026. A bright Moon makes the aurora look fainter, though it is still there.
What to expect
- The aurora appears only on active nights, and only where it is clear. Plan several nights and check the forecast each day: how to read it.
- On the coast the weather changes quickly. Tours often drive inland to look for gaps in the cloud, so a guided night can help even if you have a car.
Get a note when it is worth going out
A short email before an eclipse, a strong meteor shower or a dark week worth planning for. No more than a few a month.
Tromsø: the whole year. All northern lights destinations.
Sources
- Darkness, sunrise and Moon phases: our calculation, Astronomy Engine 2.1.19 (MIT licence). How we worked it out.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Tips on viewing the aurora.