Aurora Borealis in Dumbarton
United Kingdom · 55.94°, -4.57° · geomagnetic 58.4° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Dumbarton
41%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Dumbarton 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 Dumbarton
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 41%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Dumbarton 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 Dumbarton
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Dumbarton
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 Dumbarton 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 Dumbarton horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Dumbarton is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 5. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 8 km north-east — around West Dunbartonshire → Bortle 5
- 34 km north — around Stirling → Bortle 3
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 Dumbarton. 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 Dumbarton 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 — 172 km north — and needs only Kp 5.
| Dumbarton | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.4° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
244 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Dumbarton 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 Dumbarton
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 Dumbarton.
- Creigarestie — hill5.4 km east
- Bromley Muir — hill6.1 km north-north-west
- Loch Humphrey — lake6.5 km east
- Duncolm — mountain7.8 km east-north-east
- Cochno Loch — lake9.6 km east
- Garvel Point — headland10.2 km west
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. Dumbarton keeps its fortified past above ground, at Ardmore Tower, Duntreath Castle and Mugdock Castle, and for a day when the cloud sits low, Museum the Art at Paisley High Street free 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
Anywhere on the outskirts of Dumbarton will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Dumbain Farm 6.6 km from the centre
- De Vere Deluxe Cameron House 8.1 km from the centre
- express by holiday inn 10.7 km from the centre
- Express By Holiday Inn (Greenock) 10.7 km from the centre
- Tontine Hotel 12.3 km from the centre
- Gleddoch House Hotel and Country Estate 2.8 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 Dumbarton 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 Dumbarton forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Dumbarton
Can you see the aurora borealis from Dumbarton?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Dumbarton 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 Dumbarton?
Kp 5. Dumbarton sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.4°, 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 Dumbarton?
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 Dumbarton never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Dumbarton?
The centre of Dumbarton reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 3 is about 34 km north around Stirling. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Dumbarton with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 172 km north. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.6 in Dumbarton.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Dumbarton.