Late August to mid-April
Visit Reykjavík places the aurora season from late August to mid-April and highlights September–October and March–April, while sightings always depend on conditions.
Source: Visit ReykjavíkReykjavík northern lights tonight
Northern lights at the edge of a capital — when it is dark enough, and when the clouds open.
Calculated for Grótta shoreline (Seltjarnarnes) (64.159, -22.008)Local time GMT (UTC+0)
Tonight at a glance · Fri 6 Nov
Aurora at Grótta shoreline (Seltjarnarnes)
Wait for a real gap in the clouds.
Cloud or rain at the NOAA forecast time blocks a useful local check, even if activity is modeled above it.
Astronomical darkness is this planner’s conservative recommendation threshold, not a physical aurora visibility cutoff. Aurora can sometimes be visible in twilight.
Stargazing assessment
Stargazing at Grótta shoreline (Seltjarnarnes)Forecast
Skip
Skip tonight. Monday will be much better.
Don't bother tonight — plan for Monday instead.
Rain is forecast elsewhere in the night · Heavy cloud, 100% night average · Moon is nearly dark (5%) · 10.9 h of full darkness · Nothing on tonight's list rates well
How to interpret this assessment
Go means conditions are usable; Wait is shown only when remaining earlier scored hours support a timing improvement; Later window means there is no demonstrated reason to delay. Neither label ranks places. The window is selected by hourly cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain, with whole-night context in the verdict. It is not a guarantee or proof that earlier hours are unusable. Artificial light, terrain, access and personal safety are not scored. The former confidence percentage was an uncalibrated internal heuristic using forecast coverage, cloud variation, rain and score margin — not the probability of clear weather or a successful outing. It is no longer shown here.
Whole-night context — not just the chosen window
- Rain is forecast elsewhere in the night
- Heavy cloud, 100% night average
- Moon is nearly dark (5%)
- 10.9 h of full darkness
- Nothing on tonight's list rates well
Sunset
16:55
Cloud at sunset: no forecast
Full darkness
19:44
Sun 18° below horizon
Best stargazing window
No usable window
Inside astronomical darkness · Tonight engine
Night cloud
100%
Live forecast in use
Moon
5% lit
Waning Crescent · up ≈0% of dark hours
Aurora
Wait for a real gap in the clouds.
NOAA OVATION assessment
Choose tonight’s experience
- General stargazing
- Skip. Use the forecast window and check the sky locally.
- Milky Way
- Skip the core tonight — no qualifying astronomical-dark window.
- Planets
- Mars highest at 07:33 · Jupiter highest at 07:33 · Saturn highest at 23:03. Geometry only; check cloud at these times. A full Moon does not rule out bright planets.
- Meteors
- Skip tonight — cloud. Cloud cover is heavy during the best observing window, leaving little chance of catching the Orionids.
- Sunset
- Plan for 16:55 · cloud not confirmed. Colour and a clear local horizon are not predicted.
Compare the selected locations
Each place has its own forecast and calculation. Go and Wait describe timing, not a ranking of places. Compare the chosen window, not only the whole-night cloud average. Artificial light and access rules are not scored; a place marked “Sky conditions only” is not a visit recommendation.
| Place | Stargazing | Night cloud | Darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grótta shoreline (Seltjarnarnes)A recommended aurora spot at the city's western tip; the lighthouse itself is tidal. | SkipDon't bother tonight — plan for Monday instead.Scored conditionsRain is forecast elsewhere in the night · Heavy cloud, 100% night average · Moon is nearly dark (5%) · 10.9 h of full darkness · Nothing on tonight's list rates well Live forecast in use. Calculated Sat 7 Nov, 03:05. | 100% | Full dark from 19:44 |
| Rauðhólar, HeiðmörkVolcanic hills south-east of the city, with little light pollution. | SkipDon't bother tonight — plan for Monday instead.Scored conditionsRain is forecast elsewhere in the night · Heavy cloud, 100% night average · Moon is nearly dark (5%) · 10.9 h of full darkness · Nothing on tonight's list rates well Live forecast in use. Calculated Sat 7 Nov, 03:05. | 100% | Full dark from 19:43 |
Sunset and twilight
Evening of Fri 6 NovAstronomy
16:55
Sunset
17:50
Civil twilight ends
18:48
Nautical twilight ends
19:44
Astronomical darkness
Astronomical darkness begins at 19:44. Faint-star and Milky Way visibility also depends on cloud, Moon, artificial light and the local horizon. Morning: darkness ends 06:41, sunrise 09:31.
Times in Atlantic/Reykjavik (GMT, UTC+0). No daylight saving time in this zone.
Moon tonight
Fri 6 NovAstronomy
- Phase
- Waning Crescent · 5% lit
- Next moonrise
- Sat 7 Nov, 07:26 · east-southeast
- Next moonset
- Sat 7 Nov, 15:45 · southwest
- During the dark hours
- Below the horizon — no moonlight
- Next full Moon
- 24 November 2026
- Next new Moon
- 9 November 2026
The Moon is below the horizon in the sampled dark hours; cloud and local lighting still affect the sky.
Milky Way core
Galactic centre in SagittariusAstronomy
The Galactic Centre never rises above the horizon at Grótta shoreline (Seltjarnarnes). Other parts of the Milky Way may still be visible on dark, clear nights away from lights.
The window needs astronomical darkness and the core at least 2° up. Core positions include refraction and are sampled each minute; these are timing estimates, not guaranteed visibility. Hills, trees and town glow near the horizon can still hide it.
Planets tonight
Above the horizon vs. easy to seeAstronomy
- MercuryUp tonight, but low or only in twilight
- VenusUp tonight, but low or only in twilight
- MarsFavourable geometry · best 07:33, 42° south
- JupiterFavourable geometry · best 07:33, 39° south
- SaturnFavourable geometry · best 23:03, 27° south
"Favourable geometry" means at least 10° up while the Sun is 12° or more below the horizon. Cloud, Moon and local obstructions are not included; positions are sampled every 15 minutes.
Meteor showers
Tonight · OrionidsForecast
Skip tonight — cloud
- Radiant
- 31° high in the southeast
- Ideal peak rate (ZHR)
- 20/hr — ideal conditions at peak, not a local count
- Modelled clear-sky rate
- ~0/hr
- Weather-adjusted rate
- ~0/hr
Rates are approximate modelled estimates, not measured or guaranteed counts. Observing windows use 30-minute samples: any start or end is approximate and may differ by almost 30 minutes from a continuous crossing. Radiants use fixed peak positions; daily radiant drift is not modelled. The model assumes a fixed, moderately dark sky; town light can cut what you see well below these figures.
Coming upAstronomy
- Leonidsreference maximum ≈ Tue 17 Nov, 23:45 local · IMO 2026
- Geminidsreference maximum ≈ Mon 14 Dec, 14:00 local · IMO 2026
- Quadrantidsreference maximum ≈ Mon 4 Jan, 03:25 local · IMO 2027
- Lyridsreference maximum ≈ Fri 23 Apr, 01:40 local · IMO 2027
- Eta Aquariidsreference maximum ≈ Thu 6 May, 09:00 local · IMO 2027
Year-specific IMO predictions, not guaranteed or observed peaks. Date-only maxima are not assigned an invented local hour. The rate model above still uses typical annual peak dates and fixed radiant positions; it does not model the published peak ranges or daily radiant drift.
Plan your trip: the next eight evenings
Lowest-cloud evening (weather only): Sun 8 Nov (lowest mean night cloud). The overall recommendation at the top also weighs moonlight and darkness, so it can name a different night. Cloud is shown only where the forecast covers the night. Values come from an eight-day forecast — the later evenings are less certain than the first, so check again close to the date.
| Evening | Sunset | Full dark | Moon | Night cloudForecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 7 Nov | 16:52 | 19:41 | 2% · down | 100% |
| Sun 8 NovLowest cloud | 16:49 | 19:39 | 0% · down | 47% |
| Mon 9 Nov | 16:45 | 19:37 | 1% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Tue 10 Nov | 16:42 | 19:35 | 3% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Wed 11 Nov | 16:39 | 19:33 | 7% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Thu 12 Nov | 16:36 | 19:30 | 13% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Fri 13 Nov | 16:33 | 19:28 | 20% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Sat 14 Nov | 16:30 | 19:26 | 28% · down | Beyond forecast |
Astronomy only. No weather is given for this selected date. Moon-up percentages are approximate 15-minute samples across astronomical darkness; Milky Way positions include refraction and one-minute sampling, not visibility guarantees.
Reykjavík through the year
Astronomy on the 15th of each month — not a weather or climate forecast. Each core window uses astronomical darkness and its stated altitude threshold (10°, or a lower 5°/2° threshold when the core stays low). Low-altitude windows are marginal geometry, not equivalent to a 10° window or a visibility recommendation.Astronomy
| Month | Full darkness | Milky Way core in darkness |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.2 h | — |
| Feb | 9.9 h | — |
| Mar | 6.6 h | — |
| Apr | None — twilight all night | — |
| May | None — twilight all night | — |
| Jun | None — twilight all night | — |
| Jul | None — twilight all night | — |
| Aug | None — twilight all night | — |
| Sept | 4.8 h | — |
| Oct | 8.9 h | — |
| Nov | 11.6 h | — |
| Dec | 12.9 h | — |
Reykjavík: the local guide
Sources are linked below. Tourism descriptions do not confirm current access, closures or safety. Sky calculations use an ideal horizon, not local mountain or building profiles.
Darkness and a gap in the cloud
The Icelandic Meteorological Office states that aurora needs dark and at least partly clear skies. Check cloud as carefully as activity.
Source: Icelandic Meteorological OfficeReading the official cloud map
On the Met Office aurora map, green areas are cloudy and white areas clear; a separate box shows the forecast auroral activity at midnight on a 0–9 scale. Pick the date and time you need.
Source: Icelandic Meteorological OfficeGrótta and the tide
The lighthouse causeway is tidal and crossing requires low tide. These calculations use the mainland shoreline, not a tide or access forecast. Check the separately sourced municipal notice above; low tide alone is not permission to cross.
Source: Visit ReykjavíkDarker: Rauðhólar
Visit Reykjavík recommends the red volcanic hills of Rauðhólar in northern Heiðmörk for dramatic foregrounds and minimal light pollution.
Source: Visit ReykjavíkWhy this calculation point: A recommended aurora spot at the city's western tip; the lighthouse itself is tidal.
Forecast fetched Sat 7 Nov, 03:06 local time · weather: Live forecast in use. Astronomy: astronomy-engine, twilight on the geometric Sun (USNO convention), times rounded to the nearest minute.