Aurora Borealis in Cochrane

Canada · 51.18°, -114.47° · geomagnetic 57.6° · needs Kp 7

Tonight's aurora forecast for Cochrane

31%

Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Cochrane needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.

Tonight Mon 07 Sep
31%
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Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon

Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC

Local aurora guide for Cochrane

Cochrane is at a geomagnetic latitude of 57.6°.

Auroras are typically visible at this latitude during periods of high geomagnetic activity, such as when the Kp index reaches 7.

On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year with conditions suitable for aurora viewing.

The best months for aurora viewing in Cochrane are September, August, and November.

During June and July, there is not enough full darkness for optimal viewing conditions.

Cochrane has a Bortle scale rating of 5, indicating a suburban sky.

Areas with darker skies, rated Bortle 4, can be found 38 km west-north-west near the Municipal District of Bighorn.

Closer to town, 8 km north-north-west near Rocky View County, the sky is also rated Bortle 5.

Cochrane Lake is located 6.9 km north of Cochrane.

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park is situated 9.4 km north-east of Cochrane.

Big Hill, a notable landform, is 9.5 km east-north-east of Cochrane.

Between 2016 and 2026, there were approximately 2.7 nights per year suitable for aurora viewing.

Verified aurora sightings in the region between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, numbered 232.

Notable recent qualifying nights include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).

Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports

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Nearby towns

Forecasts for places within reach of Cochrane.