Why 2026–27 Is One of the Best Northern Lights Seasons in a Decade

If you've been thinking about a Northern Lights trip, you've probably heard that the Sun hit its "solar maximum" in 2024, and you may be wondering whether you've missed the boat. You haven't. The real sunspot data, and the history of past solar cycles, point the other way: 2026–27 is one of the strongest aurora seasons of this decade, and quite possibly the last this strong until the 2030s. This guide explains why, using numbers rather than hype, and also what the solar cycle doesn't change.

Short version: the Sun's activity peaked in October 2024. In 2026 it is easing off but still well above the quiet years of 2016-2021, and the years just after a peak have historically produced some of the biggest aurora storms on record. Two severe storms have already struck in November 2025 and January 2026. After this season, activity keeps falling towards the next solar minimum. The 2024–25 season was stronger, but 2026–27 sits comfortably in the top half of the decade, and it's very likely stronger than anything until the next cycle peaks.

Where the Sun is in its cycle right now

The Sun's activity rises and falls over a roughly 11-year cycle, tracked by counting sunspots. More sunspots means more solar flares and eruptions, and more of the solar storms that trigger bright auroras.

• The peak: according to SILSO, the Royal Observatory of Belgium's official sunspot index, the current cycle (Solar Cycle 25) peaked in October 2024 with a smoothed sunspot number of about 161. On 15 October 2024, NASA and NOAA formally announced that the Sun had reached its solar maximum period.

• It was stronger than expected: NOAA's official forecast had predicted a peak of around 115. The real cycle beat that comfortably.

• Where it is now: by April 2026, the latest smoothed figure available, the sunspot number was about 89. That's still around three-quarters of the entire peak of the previous cycle (about 116 in April 2014). Monthly counts through 2026 have ranged from about 115 in January to around 60 in September.

In other words, the Sun has come down from its peak, but it's still considerably more active than it was for most of the last decade.

How 2026–27 compares with the last ten years

Here's the smoothed sunspot number each December, a simple way to compare the activity behind each winter's aurora season:

• 2016: about 29

• 2017: about 15

• 2018: about 6

• 2019: about 2 (the solar minimum)

• 2020: about 15

• 2021: about 56

• 2022: about 107

• 2023: about 130

• 2024: about 151 (around the peak)

• 2025: about 107

The average monthly sunspot count for 2026 so far is about 81, close to 2022's level and several times higher than any year from 2017 to 2021. The honest ranking: the seasons right around the peak, 2023–24 and 2024–25, were stronger. But 2026–27 sits well ahead of the six quiet seasons that came before them, and it should be ahead of every season through to at least the end of the decade.

Why the years after a peak are so good for auroras

1. Big storms keep coming after the peak

Some of the most famous aurora storms of the space age arrived after their cycle had peaked, sometimes when sunspot numbers were lower than they are today:

• The Halloween storms, October 2003: some of the most intense storms ever recorded, about two years after Cycle 23 peaked in November 2001.

• The St Patrick's Day storm, March 2015: a severe (G4) storm and the strongest of all of Cycle 24, about a year after that cycle's April 2014 peak. The monthly sunspot number that month was only about 55.

• September 2017: another severe (G4) storm, more than three years after the peak, in a month with a sunspot number of about 44.

Both 2015 and 2017 had lower sunspot counts than most months of 2026. Strong storms don't need a solar maximum. They need one big eruption aimed at Earth, and the Sun is still producing plenty of those.

2. This cycle is already proving it

Since the peak, Solar Cycle 25 has continued to deliver. On 11-12 November 2025, a severe G4 storm, the third strongest of the cycle, pushed auroras as far south as Mexico and Florida. On 19 January 2026, another G4 storm followed a powerful solar flare. In the aurora zone itself, storms like these produce the overhead, colourful, sky-filling displays people dream about.

3. Recurring "fast wind" in the declining phase

As a cycle winds down, large coronal holes often open on the Sun and send out streams of fast solar wind. Because the Sun rotates about every 27 days, these streams can sweep past Earth again and again, giving repeated bouts of moderate geomagnetic activity. Research on past cycles shows these high-speed streams are especially common in the declining phase, and their effect on geomagnetic activity is strongest at high latitudes, exactly where Lapland, Abisko and Tromsø sit. For an Arctic traveller, that means a steady supply of good, ordinary aurora nights, with the bigger storms on top.

What comes after 2026–27?

Activity will keep declining towards the next solar minimum. NOAA expects the next cycle, Solar Cycle 26, to begin some time between 2029 and 2032, and it has not yet published a forecast for how strong it will be. Early research estimates suggest it could be moderate, perhaps similar to or weaker than the current cycle. A new cycle usually takes four to five years to climb to its peak, so the next stretch of seasons as active as the mid-2020s is likely around a decade away.

That's the real case for this season. It's not the peak, but it's one of the last strongly active seasons before a long quieter stretch.

The honest reality check

The solar cycle matters, but it isn't everything, and you should know what it does and doesn't do:

• You'll see auroras in Lapland even in quiet years. Visit Finland says the lights appear in Lapland on roughly every other clear night in season. Higher solar activity mainly raises the odds of brighter, more colourful, overhead displays, not whether you see any aurora at all.

• Clouds still decide most nights. A great solar year can't help you under thick cloud, which is why the number of nights and locations matters more than the year. Our guide on how many days you need to see the Northern Lights shows how the odds stack up.

• No year guarantees a storm. Big storms are unpredictable more than a day or two ahead. Plan a good trip, and treat a major storm as a bonus.

How to make the most of the 2026–27 season

1. Go in the core months. November to March gives long dark nights and snow. The weeks around the March equinox tend to be geomagnetically lively too. See our month-by-month guide to the best time to see the Northern Lights, including 2026–27 new-moon dates.

2. Plan four or five aurora nights rather than one or two, so you're in place when activity and clear skies line up.

3. Spread your nights across locations. Inland Lapland, Abisko and coastal Tromsø often have different weather on the same night. Our comparison of Finland vs Norway vs Iceland vs Sweden explains why.

4. Watch the space-weather forecast during your trip, and keep evenings flexible when a storm is predicted.

5. Book early. Strong seasons draw crowds, and flights, igloos and group seats fill months ahead.

2026–27 departures

• 27 February to 8 March 2027: Arctic Lights & Lapland Magic. A 10-day Sweden-Finland-Estonia loop with aurora chases in Abisko and Rovaniemi, a glass-igloo night and an icebreaker cruise, ending at the new moon.

• 5-12 March 2027: Chasing the Lights, Ice Breaker Special. Four guided aurora hunts across Finland, Sweden and Norway, timed close to the new moon and the run-up to the equinox, plus a polar icebreaker cruise.

• 12-19 November 2027: Chasing the Lights, Scandinavia Edition. The same three-country, four-hunt route at the start of the following season.

• Your own dates: the private Lapland Adventures: Northern Lights Hunting in Finland tour, or customise an aurora trip.

Before you book

• The complete picture: our Northern Lights tour from India guide covers where to go, flights, visa and every departure.

• Which month: November vs March compared.

• Budget: the full cost of a Northern Lights trip from India.

• Visa: winter is peak season at visa centres, so read our Schengen visa guide and apply four to six weeks ahead.

• Packing: long nights outside need proper layers. See our Arctic winter packing list.

The Sun won't be this active again for a while. If the Northern Lights are on your list, this is a very good season to make it happen. Talk to our Northern Lights team and we'll help you pick the right dates and route.