Iceland Northern Lights Cams, Live

How much Kp does Iceland need?

Iceland is further from the magnetic pole than northern Norway, but its geomagnetic latitude is high for its size, and the oval passes over or just north of it on most nights. As a working rule:

Iceland’s own forecasts are worth knowing. The Icelandic Met Office (vedur.is) publishes an aurora forecast with a cloud-cover map, and the cloud map matters more than the Kp line. Weather fronts usually come in from the south-west, so when Reykjavík is socked in, the north and east are often clear, and the other way round.

The cameras

• North Iceland sky cam: a 4K sky camera on the Aðaldalshraun lava field between Húsavík and Akureyri, far from any town.
• Hólar: a rural valley in Skagafjörður, North Iceland.
• Golden Circle and Reykjavík: both run by Aurora Reykjavík, the northern lights museum. Comparing them shows how much the city’s light hides.
• Snapshot cameras on Windy’s network: Kirkjufell at Grundarfjörður, Skinnastaður in the north-east, the Westfjords, and two over Reykjavík harbour and the skyline. These refresh every few minutes and catch bright displays.

When to watch

Season: roughly late August to mid-April. Iceland is just south of the Arctic Circle, so it does have a short night even in midsummer, but from mid-May to early August the sun never gets 12° below the horizon and the sky is too bright.

Time of night: Iceland keeps UTC all year, which puts its clocks well ahead of the sun. Magnetic midnight there is around 23:30–00:30, and the best stretch is usually 22:00–02:00.

Where to watch in person

Near Reykjavík: Grótta lighthouse at the tip of Seltjarnarnes, the shore at Ægisíða, or a 45-minute drive to Þingvellir National Park. On Snæfellsnes, Kirkjufell above Grundarfjörður is Iceland’s most photographed aurora foreground. On the south coast, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and the beaches at Vík. In the north, the lake at Mývatn and the hills above Akureyri. Wherever you go, check road.is for road conditions and safetravel.is before driving at night in winter.

Reading these cameras

A camera sees more than your eyes do. On a quiet night it may record a pale green band that looks grey or white to a person standing beside it. When the cameras show strong green with structure, rays or movement, it is bright enough to see easily outside.