Aurora Borealis in Cardiff
United Kingdom · 51.48°, -3.18° · geomagnetic 53.8° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Cardiff
2%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Cardiff 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 Cardiff
Auroras are typically visible when the planetary geomagnetic activity reaches Kp 7 or higher. At Cardiff's geomagnetic latitude of 53.8°, such events are infrequent.
On average, there are approximately 2.7 nights per year where conditions might be suitable for aurora viewing, based on historical geomagnetic activity.
The period from 2016 to 2026 has been analyzed for these potential viewing opportunities.
The months of September, August, and November offer the best opportunities for aurora viewing in Cardiff due to a combination of darkness and historical aurora activity.
During June and July, the region experiences periods without full darkness, which can obscure aurora visibility.
Cardiff is classified as Bortle 7, indicating significant light pollution that can impact aurora visibility.
Areas with darker skies, such as near Neath Port Talbot (Bortle 4) 49 km north-west or near Blaenau Gwent (Bortle 5) 30 km north, offer better viewing conditions.
Local terrain features include Roath Park 3.4 km north, Woodhill 7.1 km north-north-west, Cefncarnau 8.5 km north-north-west, Tredegar House Country Park 13.8 km north-east, and West Usk Lighthouse 14.5 km east-north-east.
Roath Park is a park located 3.4 km north of Cardiff.
Woodhill is a hill situated 7.1 km north-north-west of Cardiff.
Cefncarnau is a hill located 8.5 km north-north-west of Cardiff. Tredegar House Country Park is a park 13.8 km north-east of Cardiff. West Usk Lighthouse is a lighthouse 14.5 km east-north-east of Cardiff.
There have been 53 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Cardiff between January 2015 and December 2016.
The period from 2016 to 2026 includes several nights with significant geomagnetic activity, such as Kp 7.0 on March 20, 2026, and Kp 8.67 on January 19, 2026, and November 11, 2025.
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 Cardiff 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 Cardiff.