Aurora Borealis in Aberdeen
United Kingdom · 57.14°, -2.10° · geomagnetic 59.1° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Aberdeen
44%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Aberdeen needs Kp 5, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. That is on the threshold rather than over it, so cloud and moonlight will decide the night.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Aberdeen
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 44%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Aberdeen needs: Sunday 2 Aug, at Kp 5.7. The 23 nights past the seven-day window move with the 27-day solar rotation and are updated daily in the app.
Nights 8–30 unlock in the Revon app
See all 30 nights for Aberdeen
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Aberdeen
22.0 nights a year, averaged across 10.0 years of records
| Storm level | Nights / year |
|---|---|
| Kp 4 | 83.4 |
| Kp 5 | 28.7 |
| Kp 6 | 9.3 |
| Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Kp 8 | 1.2 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
Worth watching through the dark half of the year
Kp 5 is a moderate storm — not an everyday event, but common enough that a patient observer in Aberdeen sees the aurora borealis most winters.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.9 | 10.3 | 8.0 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 6.8 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 12.4 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from May to July
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Aberdeen horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 198,590 people around you, the sky over central Aberdeen is Bortle 5. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 13 km north-north-east → Bortle 5
- 24 km east-north-east → Bortle 3
Falchi 2016 World Atlas (DOI: 10.5880/GFZ.1.4.2016.001)
The months that actually deliver
Counting only nights that were both stormy enough and dark enough, September, March and October came out ahead in Aberdeen. That is storm season and darkness overlapping — the equinoxes tend to be geomagnetically active, and the nights are already long by then.
Darkest nights of the coming year
A bright moon washes out a weak display as effectively as street lighting. These new moons fall inside the Aberdeen viewing season.
- 13 Aug 2026
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
Inverness is close enough to reach and return in a night — 133 km west-north-west — and needs only Kp 5.
| Aberdeen | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.0 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 59.1° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
197 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Aberdeen between 2015-01-01 and 2016-12-31. Rare is not the same as impossible.
Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Where the horizon opens up near Aberdeen
The display sits low on the northern horizon, so what beats a better forecast is open ground facing that way. Height gets you above the town glow; water gives you an unbroken skyline. These are within a short drive of Aberdeen.
- Stewart Park — park3.5 km north-west
- Gillahill — hill6.8 km west
- Perwinnes Hill — hill7.7 km north-north-west
- Loch of Skene — lake15.2 km west
- Balbithan Island — island18.0 km north-west
- Newburgh Seals Beach — beach19.6 km north-north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
What to do with the daylight
Aurora watching is a night job, and in winter that leaves a short, bright day to fill. Aberdeen keeps its fortified past above ground, at Castle of Hallforest, Nigg mediumwave transmitter and Girdle Ness DGPS-Transmitter, and for a day when the cloud sits low, Aberdeen Maritime Museum are indoors and near by.
Keep the daylight loose: the sky decides the evening, and the forecast can turn within a few hours.
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Staying central in Aberdeen is fine for everything except the aurora itself — you will still need to drive out. If seeing it matters more than convenience, base yourself on the edge of town facing your dark spot.
- The Station Hotel 0.1 km from the centre
- Jury S Inn Aberdeen 0.1 km from the centre
- Carmelite Hotel 0.2 km from the centre
- Soprano St Magnus Court 0.2 km from the centre
- Aberdeen Douglas Hotel 0.3 km from the centre
- Travelodge Aberdeen 0.3 km from the centre
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — confirm before booking
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Aberdeen and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-24 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-23 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-22 | Kp 6.67 |
| 2026-03-21 | Kp 6.0 |
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Aberdeen forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Aberdeen
Can you see the aurora borealis from Aberdeen?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Aberdeen had about 22.0 nights a year when the storm was strong enough and the sky dark enough at the same time.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in Aberdeen?
Kp 5. Aberdeen sits at geomagnetic latitude 59.1°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 5. Storms that size occur about 28.7 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Aberdeen?
September, March and October. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From May to July the sky over Aberdeen never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Aberdeen?
The centre of Aberdeen reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 3 is about 24 km east-north-east. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Aberdeen with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 133 km west-north-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.0 in Aberdeen.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Aberdeen.