Aurora Borealis in Ballincollig

Ireland · 51.88°, -8.58° · geomagnetic 55.1° · needs Kp 7

Tonight's aurora forecast for Ballincollig

6%

Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Ballincollig needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.9. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.

Tonight Tue 08 Sep
6%
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Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon

Updated 2026-09-08 10:36 UTC

Local aurora guide for Ballincollig

Ballincollig is located at 55.1° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible when the Kp index reaches 7 or higher.

On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year in this region where conditions are suitable for aurora viewing.

The historical record for aurora sightings in this area spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.

The best months for aurora viewing in Ballincollig are September, August, and November.

During June and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing opportunities.

Ballincollig experiences a Bortle 5 sky brightness. Areas with Bortle 4 conditions, offering darker skies, are located approximately 26 km east-north-east near County Cork.

Other areas with Bortle 5 conditions are found about 14 km north-north-east near County Cork.

The horizon to the west-north-west is marked by Garravagh North Top, a hill 3.7 km away. To the north, Blarney Lake is 4.3 km away. East-north-east features the hill Knocknaheeny, 6.0 km away. Eastward, Cork Lough is 6.5 km away, and The Marina, a park, is 10.5 km away.

Garravagh North Top is a hill located 3.7 km west-north-west of Ballincollig.

Blarney Lake is situated 4.3 km north of Ballincollig.

Knocknaheeny, a hill, is 6.0 km east-north-east of Ballincollig. Cork Lough is 6.5 km east, and The Marina park is 10.5 km east.

There have been 36 verified aurora reports within a 300 km radius of Ballincollig between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.

The historical data indicates that nights with a Kp index of 7.0 or higher occurred on March 20, 2026, and January 20, 2026.

Additional qualifying nights with high Kp values include January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).

Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports

Know when it is worth going outside

Revon watches the Ballincollig forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.

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Nearby towns

Forecasts for places within reach of Ballincollig.