Northern lights tonight

-Kp
Kp index now
-
Look north, away from city lights, ideally between 10 pm and 2 am.

Source: NOAA SWPC · GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences · Updated: -

Next nights

NightHighest KpNOAA scale
Loading data...

Aurora oval right now

Loading data...

lowhigh

Colour shows the probability of aurora overhead from the NOAA OVATION model for the next 30-90 minutes. The darker side of the globe is night: only there can the aurora be seen.

3-day Kp index forecast

Loading data...

Kp < 5Kp 5-6Kp 7+

Kp index, geomagnetic storms and where the aurora shows

The higher the Kp, the farther from the pole the aurora can be seen. From Kp 5 NOAA calls it a geomagnetic storm (scale G1-G5). The last column lists cities where the aurora may appear low on the horizon at that Kp (our approximate model).

KpNOAA scaleWhat it meansWhere it may be visible
0-3-quietEdinburgh, Oslo, Tromsø, Rovaniemi, Reykjavík, Fairbanks
4-quietStockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Dublin, Calgary
5G1minor stormCopenhagen, Riga, Vancouver, Montreal
6G2moderate stormLondon, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot, Łeba, Hel
7G3strong stormBiałystok, Poznań, Warsaw, Wrocław, Paris, Chicago
8G4severe stormKraków, Zakopane, Munich, Prague, New York, Hobart
9G5extreme stormVienna, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Melbourne

Kp archive: every day →

✦ Add the aurora forecast to your website →Free widget, no cookies

Will you see the aurora tonight? Pick your country

United KingdomEdinburgh · Kp 3+-2 places →SwedenKiruna · Kp 0+-2 places →NorwayTromsø · Kp 0+-4 places →IcelandReykjavík · Kp 0+-United StatesFairbanks · Kp 0+-7 places →CanadaYellowknife · Kp 0+-8 places →GreenlandNuuk · Kp 0+-FinlandRovaniemi · Kp 0.5+-2 places →EstoniaTallinn · Kp 3.5+-IrelandDublin · Kp 4+-DenmarkCopenhagen · Kp 4.5+-LatviaRiga · Kp 5+-PolandŁeba · Kp 5.5+-14 places →GermanyHamburg · Kp 5.5+-3 places →NetherlandsAmsterdam · Kp 5.5+-BelgiumBrussels · Kp 6+-FranceParis · Kp 7+-CzechiaPrague · Kp 7.5+-AustriaVienna · Kp 8.5+-SwitzerlandZurich · Kp 8.5+-ItalyMilan · Kp 9+-HungaryBudapest · Kp 9+-

Southern hemisphere (aurora australis)

Hobart · Kp 7.5Dunedin · Kp 7.5Queenstown · Kp 8Christchurch · Kp 9Ushuaia · Kp 9

Aurora live on webcams

Cameras pointed at the sky in Lapland, Iceland, Canada and Alaska. The aurora shows only at night, under clear skies.

FAQ

What is the Kp index?

Kp is a scale from 0 to 9 that shows how disturbed the Earth's magnetic field is. The higher the Kp, the further south the aurora reaches. From Kp 5 it counts as a geomagnetic storm.

When is the best time to look?

At night, usually between 10 pm and 2 am, under a clear sky and away from lights. Strong geomagnetic storms are most common around the equinoxes, in March and September.

How do I photograph the aurora with a phone?

Turn on night mode, rest the phone on something or use a tripod, and take a photo with an exposure of a few seconds. The camera often sees the aurora more clearly than your eyes.

Where does the data come from?

The Kp index and its forecast come from NOAA SWPC and GFZ, and the aurora oval from the NOAA OVATION model. The page refreshes the data by itself, without reloading.

How we estimate the chance: we compare NOAA's Kp forecast with an approximate aurora visibility boundary for the city's geomagnetic latitude. It is an estimate, not a guarantee - clouds and light pollution also decide whether you will see it.