Northern lights in Reykjavík in December 2026
Short answer: The darkest, most moon-free nights are 5 Dec, 6 Dec, 7 Dec, 8 Dec, 9 Dec, 10 Dec. Nights average 14.9 hours of darkness in December.
Leave the city for Þingvellir or Grótta lighthouse. Cloud cover is the main obstacle.
Tue 1 Dec to Thu 31 Dec 2026
Darkest night: Sat 5 December 2026
Dark 18:02–08:40 · 14.7 h without the moon · moon 8% lit
| Night of | Dark (sun below −12°) | Hours | Moon-free | Moon | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 Dec | 18:05–08:33 | 14.5 | 7.7 | 43% | 89 |
| Wed 2 Dec | 18:04–08:35 | 14.7 | 9.3 | 33% | 93 |
| Thu 3 Dec | 18:03–08:36 | 14.7 | 11.2 | 23% | 97 |
| Fri 4 Dec | 18:02–08:38 | 14.7 | 12.8 | 15% | 99 |
| Sat 5 Dec | 18:02–08:40 | 14.7 | 14.7 | 8% | 100 |
| Sun 6 Dec | 18:01–08:41 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 4% | 100 |
| Mon 7 Dec | 18:00–08:43 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 1% | 100 |
| Tue 8 Dec | 18:00–08:44 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 0% | 100 |
| Wed 9 Dec | 17:59–08:45 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 1% | 100 |
| Thu 10 Dec | 17:59–08:47 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 4% | 100 |
| Fri 11 Dec | 17:58–08:48 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 8% | 100 |
| Sat 12 Dec | 17:58–08:49 | 15.0 | 14.2 | 14% | 100 |
| Sun 13 Dec | 17:58–08:50 | 15.0 | 12.3 | 21% | 98 |
| Mon 14 Dec | 17:58–08:51 | 15.0 | 10.7 | 29% | 95 |
| Tue 15 Dec | 17:58–08:52 | 15.0 | 9.0 | 39% | 91 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 17:58–08:53 | 15.0 | 7.5 | 49% | 87 |
| Thu 17 Dec | 17:58–08:54 | 15.0 | 5.8 | 59% | 80 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 17:58–08:54 | 15.0 | 4.0 | 70% | 72 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 17:59–08:55 | 15.0 | 2.2 | 79% | 63 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 17:59–08:56 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 87% | 52 |
| Mon 21 Dec | 17:59–08:56 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 94% | 48 |
| Tue 22 Dec | 18:00–08:56 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 98% | 46 |
| Wed 23 Dec | 18:01–08:57 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 100% | 45 |
| Thu 24 Dec | 18:01–08:57 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 99% | 46 |
| Fri 25 Dec | 18:02–08:57 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 95% | 48 |
| Sat 26 Dec | 18:03–08:57 | 15.0 | 1.2 | 89% | 55 |
| Sun 27 Dec | 18:04–08:57 | 15.0 | 3.3 | 80% | 66 |
| Mon 28 Dec | 18:05–08:57 | 15.0 | 5.2 | 71% | 75 |
| Tue 29 Dec | 18:06–08:57 | 15.0 | 6.8 | 60% | 82 |
| Wed 30 Dec | 18:07–08:57 | 15.0 | 8.5 | 49% | 88 |
| Thu 31 Dec | 18:08–08:57 | 14.8 | 10.3 | 39% | 94 |
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Questions
What are the best nights for the northern lights in Reykjavík in December 2026?
The darkest, most moon-free nights are 5 Dec, 6 Dec, 7 Dec, 8 Dec, 9 Dec, 10 Dec. Nights average 14.9 hours of darkness in December.
Is December a good month for the northern lights in Reykjavík?
Yes, nights are very long, though often cloudier and colder. Leave the city for Þingvellir or Grótta lighthouse. Cloud cover is the main obstacle.