Aurora Borealis in Barnstaple
United Kingdom · 51.08°, -4.06° · geomagnetic 53.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Barnstaple
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Barnstaple 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 Barnstaple
Auroras are typically visible at Barnstaple when the geomagnetic activity reaches Kp 7.
The geomagnetic latitude of Barnstaple is 53.6°.
On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year with sufficient geomagnetic activity for aurora viewing.
The best months for aurora viewing in Barnstaple are September, August, and November.
During June and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing conditions.
Barnstaple has a Bortle scale rating of 4, indicating a dark sky location.
Areas with similar dark sky conditions, rated Bortle 4, can be found 10 km south-south-east near North Devon.
Notable features around Barnstaple include Goodleigh Hill to the east, Coxleigh Barton Hill to the north-east, Horsey Island to the west, Heath Park to the east-north-east, and Saunton Sands to the west.
Goodleigh Hill is a hill located 3.4 km east of Barnstaple.
Coxleigh Barton Hill is a hill situated 3.5 km north-east of Barnstaple.
Horsey Island is an island located 8.0 km west of Barnstaple, while Heath Park is a park 10.6 km east-north-east of the town. Saunton Sands, a beach, is located 11.8 km west of Barnstaple.
There have been 31 verified aurora sightings reported within 300 km of Barnstaple between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The historical record spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
Notable qualifying nights in the historical record include 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 · Revon location dataset · 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 Barnstaple 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 Barnstaple.