Aurora Borealis in Capital Region
Denmark · 55.74°, 12.41° · geomagnetic 55.4° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Capital Region
23%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Capital Region needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Capital Region
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 23%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Capital Region needs, which is normal rather than unlucky — it averages 2.5 viable nights a year. 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 Capital Region
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Capital Region
2.5 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
Wait for an alert; do not book a week
At Kp 7, Capital Region needs a severe geomagnetic storm before anything shows above the northern horizon. Storms that size arrive a handful of times per solar cycle and announce themselves a day or two ahead. Watching for one beats picking dates and hoping.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.8 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 4.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 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 Capital Region horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 1,942,606 people around you, the sky over central Capital Region is Bortle 6. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 30 km north-north-west — around Gribskov Municipality → Bortle 5
- 38 km north-west — around Halsnæs Municipality → 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, November and August came out ahead in Capital Region. 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 Capital Region 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
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Inverness, 1,033 km west-north-west in United Kingdom.
| Capital Region | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 2.5 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 55.4° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
6 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Capital Region 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 Capital Region
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 Capital Region.
- Højnæsbjerg — hill3.7 km north-north-east
- Bagsværd Sø — lake4.4 km north-east
- Søndersø — lake4.9 km north-west
- Kong Svends Høj — hill7.5 km west
- Ordrup Mose — moor10.8 km east-north-east
- Jægersborg Dyrehave — park10.9 km east-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. Capital Region keeps its fortified past above ground, at Hjortholm, Sorgenfri Slot and Charlottenlund Slot, and for a day when the cloud sits low, The Hirschsprung Collection, Staatliches Kunstmuseum Kopenhagen and The David Collection 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 Capital Region 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.
- Sinatur Hotel Frederiksdal 4.8 km from the centre
- Scandic Eremitage 6.8 km from the centre
- Schaeffergarden 7.8 km from the centre
- Gentofte Hotel 8.3 km from the centre
- Bernsstorff Slot 9.0 km from the centre
- Comwell Holte 10.1 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 Capital Region and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
| 2026-01-20 | Kp 7.67 |
| 2026-01-19 | Kp 8.67 |
| 2025-11-12 | Kp 7.33 |
| 2025-11-11 | Kp 8.67 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Capital Region
All 24 places in Capital Region with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- AlbertslundKp 7
- AllerødKp 7
- AvedøreKp 7
- BallerupKp 7
- BirkerødKp 7
- BrøndbyvesterKp 7
- CharlottenlundKp 7
- CopenhagenKp 7
- FarumKp 7
- FrederiksbergKp 7
- FrederikssundKp 7
- GlostrupKp 7
- HelsingørKp 7
- HillerødKp 7
- HvidovreKp 7
- HørsholmKp 7
- IshøjKp 7
- LillerødKp 7
- RødovreKp 7
- StenløseKp 7
- TaastrupKp 7
- ValbyKp 7
- VallensbækKp 7
- VanløseKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Capital Region forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Capital Region
Can you see the aurora borealis from Capital Region?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Capital Region had about 2.5 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 Capital Region?
Kp 7. Capital Region sits at geomagnetic latitude 55.4°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 7. Storms that size occur about 3.2 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Capital Region?
September, November and August. 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 Capital Region never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Capital Region?
The centre of Capital Region reads Bortle 6. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 38 km north-west around Halsnæs Municipality. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Capital Region with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 1,033 km west-north-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 2.5 in Capital Region.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Capital Region.
- 🇩🇰 Køge - Denmark35 km
- 🇩🇰 Helsingør - Denmark35 km
- 🇸🇪 Helsingborg - Sweden38 km
- 🇸🇪 Malmö - Sweden40 km
- 🇩🇰 Holbæk - Denmark44 km
- 🇸🇪 Lund - Sweden49 km
- 🇸🇪 Staffanstorp - Sweden51 km
- 🇩🇰 Ringsted - Denmark51 km