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Rule Northern Lights

Saariselkä - Northern Lights - Finnish Lapland

Saariselka, Lapland, Finland

Northern Lights photography conditions - combines aurora activity levels with clear skies and proper darkness for optimal viewing.

Currently

Real-time conditions
Aurora Quality
0%
Kp IndexKp 2 (Quiet)
Sun Elevation-22.4° (Astronomical night)
Cloud Cover69%

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Europe/Helsinki
aurora weather icon
Next opportunity
Excellent Chance of Aurora
Saariselkä
Sat, Mar 7 · 24:00–02:00 · 2h window
Medium confidence
45%
🌌Aurora Quality80.8-95%
Kp Index: Kp 4 (Unsettled)
Sun Elevation: -26.9° (Astronomical night)
Cloud Cover: 5%
aurora weather icon
Excellent Chance of Aurora
Saariselkä
Tue, Mar 10 · 02:00–06:00
🌌Aurora Quality:90.9-93.1%
Low
aurora weather icon
Excellent Chance of Aurora
Saariselkä
Tue, Mar 10 · 20:00–23:00
🌌Aurora Quality:79.1-93.1%
Low

What this forecast looks for

Plain-language explanation from the rule

This forecast answers the question every aurora photographer asks: "Can I actually see the aurora tonight?" Unlike simple Kp forecasts, we combine NOAA's OVATION aurora model with real-time cloud cover, visibility, and darkness data to predict true viewing conditions.

Finnish Lapland sits directly under the auroral oval, making it one of Earth's most reliable aurora viewing regions. These curated photography spots span from Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle to Utsjoki at Finland's northernmost tip.

What makes Finnish Lapland special:

  • Dark sky reserves - Minimal light pollution across vast wilderness areas
  • Fell landscapes - Elevated viewpoints like Kaunispää offer 360° aurora visibility
  • Lake reflections - Inari and other large lakes create stunning mirror shots
  • Research heritage - Sodankylä hosts one of the world's oldest aurora research stations

Best conditions typically occur September through March. The fell regions often experience temperature inversions that trap clouds below, giving you clear skies when lowlands are overcast.

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72-hour requirements breakdown

What passed or failed, hour by hour
2matching hours in the next 95 hoursJump to next match
AND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
Europe/Helsinki
Aurora Quality
≥ 50.0%
Solar Elevation
≤ -8.0°
Aurora Activity
≥ 50.0%
Total Cloud Coverage
≤ 30.0%
Visibility
≥ 8000.0m
Wed, Mar 4
03:000%-23°100%100%430m
04:000%-18°100%99%574m
05:000%-13°84%93%508m
06:000%-8°84%100%334m
07:000%-2.4°0%100%351m
08:000%3°0%78%617m
09:000%7.5°0%93%936m
10:000%11°21%94%714m
11:000%14°8%86%878m
12:000%15°8%92%933m
13:000%15°8%83%7954m
14:000%13°8%91%11979m
15:000%10°8%74%3422m
16:000%6.5°11%48%9573m
17:000%1.8°11%60%6424m
18:000%-3.7°16%75%6549m
19:000%-9.3°20%80%6548m
20:000%-15°23%83%6546m
21:000%-19°29%80%6547m
22:000%-23°30%79%6548m
23:000%-26°30%63%6547m
Thu, Mar 5
24:000%-28°29%52%8635m
01:000%-27°23%76%6546m
02:000%-26°23%52%9408m
03:000%-22°23%69%7122m
04:000%-18°23%91%4709m
05:000%-13°15%91%7035m
06:000%-7.6°15%67%4153m
07:000%-2°15%77%8295m
08:000%3.3°2.3%82%9639m
09:000%7.9°2.3%98%19743m
10:000%12°2.3%69%20428m
11:000%14°4.3%100%24134m
12:000%16°4.3%82%24134m
13:000%15°4.3%65%24134m
14:000%14°2.3%78%24135m
15:000%11°2.3%66%24134m
16:000%6.8°2.3%100%24134m
17:000%2.1°15%100%24134m
18:000%-3.4°15%100%24135m
19:000%-8.9°15%100%24135m
20:000%-14°15%100%23969m
21:000%-19°15%100%24134m
22:000%-23°15%100%24134m
23:000%-26°72%100%24134m
Fri, Mar 6
24:000%-27°72%100%24134m
01:000%-27°72%100%24135m
02:000%-25°100%100%24134m
03:000%-22°100%100%1299m
04:000%-18°100%100%547m
05:000%-13°100%100%392m
06:000%-7.2°100%100%24134m
07:000%-1.6°100%100%24134m
08:000%3.7°72%100%24135m
09:000%8.3°72%100%22335m
10:000%12°72%100%133m
11:000%15°72%100%237m
12:000%16°72%100%5330m
13:000%16°72%100%6451m
14:000%14°62%100%23305m
15:000%11°62%100%6411m
16:000%7.2°62%100%244m
17:000%2.5°21%100%2092m
18:000%-3°21%100%7552m
19:000%-8.6°21%100%118m
20:000%-14°62%100%291m
21:000%-19°62%100%1347m
22:000%-23°62%100%24134m
23:000%-26°100%93%24134m
Sat, Mar 7
24:0095%-27°100%5%24134m
01:0081%-27°100%21%24135m
02:0040%-25°11%5%24135m
03:0040%-22°11%5%24135m
04:0040%-17°11%5%24135m
05:0038%-12°11%16%22734m
06:000%-6.8°11%100%24135m
07:000%-1.1°11%100%24134m
08:000%4.1°11%100%18271m
09:000%8.7°11%100%20226m
10:000%12°11%100%22180m
11:000%15°11%100%24135m
12:000%16°11%100%24135m
13:000%16°11%100%24135m
14:000%14°11%100%24135m
15:000%12°11%100%18252m
16:000%7.5°11%100%12369m
17:000%2.8°11%100%6486m
18:000%-2.7°11%100%8092m
19:000%-8.2°11%100%9699m
20:000%-14°11%100%11305m
21:000%-18°11%100%15582m
22:000%-22°11%100%19858m
23:000%-25°11%100%24135m
Sun, Mar 8
24:000%-26°11%100%24135m
01:000%-26°11%100%24135m
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).

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