Aurora Borealis in Broxburn
United Kingdom · 55.93°, -3.47° · geomagnetic 58.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Broxburn
37%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Broxburn 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 Broxburn
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 37%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Broxburn 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 Broxburn
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Broxburn
22.6 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 Broxburn 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 | 8.1 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 7.0 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 12.3 |
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 Broxburn horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Broxburn is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 7. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 30 km east-north-east — around Selkirkshire → Bortle 5
- 45 km east — around East Lothian → Bortle 4
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 Broxburn. 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 Broxburn 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 — 178 km north-north-west — and needs only Kp 5.
| Broxburn | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.2° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
248 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Broxburn 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 Broxburn
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 Broxburn.
- Binny Craig — hill4.1 km west-north-west
- Philpstoun Bing North — hill5.2 km north-north-west
- Abercorn Light (historical) — lighthouse7.3 km north
- Blackness Light (historical) — lighthouse8.5 km north-north-west
- Blackness Bay — bay8.6 km north-north-west
- Inchgarvie — island9.1 km 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. Broxburn keeps its fortified past above ground, at Niddry Castle, Binns Tower and Blackness Castle.
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
Anywhere on the outskirts of Broxburn will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Travelodge Edinburgh Airport 4.9 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh Airport 6.1 km from the centre
- Quality Hotel Edinburgh Arpt 6.4 km from the centre
- Quality Hotel Edinburgh Airport 6.4 km from the centre
- Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh Airport 6.8 km from the centre
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh Airport 7.0 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 Broxburn 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 Broxburn forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Broxburn
Can you see the aurora borealis from Broxburn?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Broxburn had about 22.6 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 Broxburn?
Kp 5. Broxburn sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.2°, 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 Broxburn?
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 Broxburn never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Broxburn?
The centre of Broxburn reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 45 km east around East Lothian. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Broxburn with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 178 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.6 in Broxburn.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Broxburn.