Aurora Borealis in Carlow
Ireland · 52.84°, -6.93° · geomagnetic 55.8° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Carlow
10%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Carlow 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 Carlow
Carlow is at 55.8° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras visible here typically require a Kp of 7 or higher.
On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year suitable for aurora viewing in this region.
The period between 2016 and 2026 has been analyzed for these figures.
The best months for aurora viewing in Carlow are September, August, and November.
During June and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing conditions.
Carlow experiences a Bortle 6 sky. A Bortle 4 area is located 16 km south-east.
Notable terrain features to the west-north-west include Gales Hill (10.4 km) and Fossy Hill (20.9 km).
To the north-east, Knockpatrick Hill (11.7 km) and to the east-north-east, Beechy Park (14.0 km) are also present.
Gales Hill, a hill located 10.4 km west-north-west of Carlow, offers a potential vantage point.
Knockpatrick Hill, situated 11.7 km north-east of Carlow, is another elevated area.
Fossy Hill, a mountain 20.9 km west-north-west of Carlow, and Knock Ardagur, a mountain 22.0 km west-north-west of Carlow, are also noted.
There have been 74 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Carlow between January 2015 and December 2016.
The period from 2016 to 2026 includes several nights with significant geomagnetic activity.
Notable qualifying nights 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 Carlow 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 Carlow.