Thursday 29 October in Espoo, 17:33

Northern lights in Espoo

Q: When is the northern lights season in Espoo?

In Espoo it gets dark enough for the aurora every night except from 10 May to 1 August, with up to 14 hours of proper darkness a day in midwinter. The best months are November, October and September, going by darkness and activity in 2014–2025.

Q: What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Espoo?

In Espoo the aurora can show from about Kp 7, the same as in Helsinki. Activity was that high in under 1% of the hours in 2014–2025. Counting the darkness, that makes only a few hours in a typical year with both darkness and enough activity, so it takes a strong solar storm. The clouds decide how many of them bring an aurora.

Q: When is it darkest in Espoo?

It is darkest in December, with 14 hours on average per day. The whole year by month: Jan 13 h, Feb 11 h, Mar 9 h, Apr 6 h, May 0 h, Jun 0 h, Jul 0 h, Aug 4 h, Sep 8 h, Oct 10 h, Nov 13 h, Dec 14 h.

In Espoo the aurora can show from about Kp 7. Tonight's forecast is Kp 2.3, and right now it is 0.3. Tonight there are 12 hours of proper darkness. It looks overcast all night (91 % cloud cover even in the clearest hours), so the chance is low.

Updated 29 October at 23:16

Chance tonightLowOvercast all night · 91 % cloud cover Darkness tonight12 hSunset 16:33 Best nightNone yetA low chance for the nights the Kp forecast covers Kp tonight2.3Visible here from Kp 7 · now 0.3

Sunrise 07:36Drag through the daySunset 16:33

Espoo and the northern lights

Espoo is a municipality in Uusimaa, Finland, with 325,716 inhabitants. It is also officially called Esbo. The municipal centre lies at 60.2° N. What counts for the aurora is the magnetic latitude, 57.8° here. Here the aurora can show from about Kp 7, the same as in Helsinki. Activity was that high in under 1% of the hours in 2014–2025.

It gets dark enough for the aurora every night except from 10 May to 1 August, with up to 14 hours of proper darkness a day in midwinter. Counting the darkness, that makes only a few hours in a typical year with both darkness and enough activity, so it takes a strong solar storm. The clouds decide how many of them bring an aurora.

Tonight in Espoo, hour by hour

When it is dark enough, how cloudy it is, and the chance each hour from the Kp forecast and the cloud cover. Hours already gone have no forecast.

18:00–
19:00–
20:00–
21:00100 %
22:00100 %
23:00100 %
00:00100 %
01:0098 %
02:0084 %
03:0099 %
04:0097 %
05:0093 %

Dark enoughToo lightHigh chanceModerateLowMoonlight (83 % full) dims a faint auroraOvercast all night

The next seven nights in Espoo

Darkness, cloud and the chance for each night. The Kp forecast reaches three nights; the dashed nights after rest on NOAA’s long-range outlook and are only a pointer.

tonightLow12 hours darkOvercast all night91 % cloud coverKp max 2.3
tomorrowLow12 hours darkBest 03:00–05:0076 % cloud coverKp max 5.0
the day after tomorrowLow12 hours darkOvercast all night96 % cloud coverKp max 4.5
SundayLow12 hours darkOvercast all night100 % cloud coverKp about 3.5Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook
MondayLow12 hours darkBest 19:00–21:0059 % cloud coverKp about 2.5Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook
TuesdayLow12 hours darkBest 01:00–03:0031 % cloud coverKp about 2.0Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook
WednesdayLow12 hours darkBest 01:00–03:0060 % cloud coverKp about 2.5Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook

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The next four weeks, night by night: activity, darkness and moon

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When can you see the northern lights in Espoo?

The aurora needs both darkness and enough activity on the sun. Each column is a day: dark blue is the hours that are dark enough, green those of them when activity has been high enough here, on average 2014–2025.

Here it takes Kp 7 or more, which is rare: on average only a few minutes a night. The best chance is in November, October and September. Activity peaks around the March and September equinoxes, the nights are longest in midwinter.

<0.1 hJan
0 hFeb
<0.1 hMar
<0.1 hApr
0 hMay
0 hJun
0 hJul
<0.1 hAug
<0.1 hSep
<0.1 hOct
<0.1 hNov
0 hDec

Light or twilightDark enough (dark blue and green together)Of those, with enough activity (Kp 7 or more), average 2014–2025Best months

Clouds are left out: on average cloud cover varies little from month to month, while it decides each single night. See the forecast above.

Places nearby

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Questions about the northern lights in Espoo

Can I see the northern lights in Espoo today?

When is the northern lights season in Espoo?

In Espoo it gets dark enough for the aurora every night except from 10 May to 1 August, with up to 14 hours of proper darkness a day in midwinter. The best months are November, October and September, going by darkness and activity in 2014–2025.

What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Espoo?

In Espoo the aurora can show from about Kp 7, the same as in Helsinki. Activity was that high in under 1% of the hours in 2014–2025. Counting the darkness, that makes only a few hours in a typical year with both darkness and enough activity, so it takes a strong solar storm. The clouds decide how many of them bring an aurora.

When is it darkest in Espoo?

It is darkest in December, with 14 hours on average per day. The whole year by month: Jan 13 h, Feb 11 h, Mar 9 h, Apr 6 h, May 0 h, Jun 0 h, Jul 0 h, Aug 4 h, Sep 8 h, Oct 10 h, Nov 13 h, Dec 14 h.

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