Sodankyla Webcam – Watch the Northern Lights in Lapland

The Sodankyla Webcam looks north across a wide stretch of water in Finnish Lapland, with dark spruce and pine forest running along both shores to a low, flat horizon. A small cabin cruiser is moored on the right-hand bank under a stand of tall pines, and the fisheye lens gives most of the frame to the sky. The camera is run by Starlapland, a Sodankyla-based aurora project, and it faces north so that northern lights over the horizon land in the frame on dark, clear nights. By day it works as a quiet weather camera, with cloud moving over the forest and the water freezing in winter and opening up again in spring. The camera streams all year, but Starlapland turns it to a different direction in summer for privacy reasons, so the summer view is not the same as the winter one.

About Sodankyla

Sodankyla is a village and municipality in central Lapland, at about 67.4 degrees north. The municipality covers 11,693 square kilometers (4,515 square miles) of land and had 8,095 residents at the end of 2025, which works out to fewer than one person per square kilometer. The Kitinen River flows past the village center, and Starlapland’s notes for its Sodankyla cameras talk about watching the river melt in spring.

Science is the reason many people outside Finland know the name. The Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory was founded in 1913 by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, and its measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field go back to 1914. It stands just outside the village at Tahtela, a name that means “place of stars”, and it is now an independent research unit of the University of Oulu. Its staff were already photographing auroras between 1927 and 1929, long before anyone pointed a streaming camera at this sky.

The oldest building in the village is the wooden Sodankyla Old Church, built in 1689 and restored in 1926, with its shingles and boarding redone between 1991 and 1995. Every mid-June the village also hosts the Midnight Sun Film Festival, founded in 1986 and timed for the weeks when the sun does not set at all.

Weather and Climate in Sodankyla

Winters are long and properly cold. At the Tahtela weather station, the 1991 to 2020 averages give January highs of about -8 C (18 F) and lows near -18 C (0 F), and the record low is -49.5 C (-57.1 F), set on 28 January 1999. The sun stays below the horizon only from 20 to 23 December, but the days either side are very short, and December averages about one hour of sunshine for the whole month. Spring arrives late. April highs average about 4 C (39 F) with nights near -6 C (21 F), and daytime highs only reach about 10 C (51 F) in May.

Summer is short, bright and warmer than most people expect. July highs average about 20 C (68 F) with lows near 10 C (50 F), and the record is 32.1 C (89.8 F), from 18 July 2018. The midnight sun lasts from 31 May to 14 July, so for about six weeks the sky never gets dark and there is no aurora to see. July is also the wettest month, with about 76 millimeters (3 inches) of an annual 544 millimeters (21.4 inches). Autumn turns quickly. September highs are about 11 C (52 F), and by October the daily mean sits at 0 C (32 F), just as the dark evenings bring the aurora season back.

Things to Do Near Sodankyla

In the village, the Old Church from 1689 is the obvious first stop. The Alariesto gallery is a museum devoted to the life and work of Andreas Alariesto (1900 to 1986), a painter from Sodankyla. For watching the northern lights in person, Starlapland’s stream notes list several darker spots close to the center, including the beach by the gas station, the north and south dams, and a camping spot with a view to the north near the south dam.

Luosto lies about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of the village in a straight line. Its hill holds the only open amethyst mine in Europe, and it is one half of Pyha-Luosto National Park, created in 2005 when Pyhatunturi National Park, Finland’s oldest, set up in 1938, was joined to Luosto. The park covers 142 square kilometers (55 square miles) of quartzite fells, including Ukko-Luosto at 514 meters (1,686 feet) and Noitatunturi at 540 meters (1,772 feet). Isokuru, inside the park, is Finland’s deepest gorge, dropping more than 200 meters (656 feet), and some of the park’s old-growth trees are more than 400 years old.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More Arctic skies and Lapland views from around the region:

• Utsjoki Webcam
• Abisko Webcam
• Levi Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sodankyla located?

Sodankyla is in central Finnish Lapland, at about 67.4 degrees north, above the Arctic Circle. It lies about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north-northeast of Rovaniemi in a straight line.

What can you see on the Sodankyla Webcam?

A fisheye view north across open water, with spruce and pine forest along both shores, a moored boat and tall pines on the right, and a large share of sky. At night the sky is the subject. In summer the camera is turned to a different direction for privacy reasons, so the summer view differs from the winter one.

Can you see the northern lights on the Sodankyla webcam?

Yes, when conditions allow. Starlapland runs it as a northern lights camera facing north, and auroras show up on dark nights with clear skies and enough solar activity. Cloud hides them completely, and from 31 May to 14 July the sky never gets dark enough.

When is the best time to see the northern lights in Sodankyla?

From autumn to spring, on clear, dark nights. The midnight sun rules out 31 May to 14 July, while December and January give the most hours of darkness. Check a space weather forecast and the local cloud forecast before a night out, and look at the camera to see whether the sky over the village is clear.

What is the weather like in Sodankyla?

Cold, dry winters and short, mild summers. The Tahtela station’s averages give January highs of about -8 C (18 F) and July highs of about 20 C (68 F). Annual precipitation is about 544 millimeters (21.4 inches), and the wettest months are June to August.

How cold is Sodankyla in December?

December highs average about -6 C (22 F) and lows about -14 C (7 F), and the record December low is -46.9 C (-52.4 F). The sun stays below the horizon from 20 to 23 December, and the whole month averages about one hour of sunshine.

Does the webcam show Sodankyla’s old church or the village?

No. The camera looks across water and forest, and no village buildings are in frame. The 1689 Old Church, the village center and Sodankyla Airport are all off camera.

Source: Starlapland