Aurora Borealis in Banbury
United Kingdom · 52.06°, -1.34° · geomagnetic 54.1° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Banbury
2%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Banbury 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.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:36 UTC
Local aurora guide for Banbury
Banbury is at a geomagnetic latitude of 54.1 degrees.
Auroras visible at this latitude typically require a Kp index of 7 or higher.
Based on historical data, there are approximately 2.7 nights per year suitable for aurora viewing.
The best months for aurora viewing in Banbury are September, August, and November.
During June and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing conditions.
Banbury experiences a Bortle 6 light pollution level.
Areas with Bortle 4 conditions are located 115 km west near Herefordshire.
Bortle 5 conditions can be found 45 km south-west near Cotswold District.
Hanwell Community Observatory is located 3.4 km north-north-west of Banbury.
Upper Wardington Hill is situated 7.6 km north-east of Banbury.
Thenford Hill is located 7.9 km east-north-east of Banbury.
There have been 81 verified aurora sightings reported within 300 km of Banbury between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The period from 2016 to 2026 has recorded several nights with high Kp values, including March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: 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 Banbury forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Banbury.