Aurora Borealis in Durham
United Kingdom · 54.78°, -1.58° · geomagnetic 56.8° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Durham
21%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Durham 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 Durham
Aurora viewing in Durham is influenced by geomagnetic activity. The minimum Kp index for potential aurora visibility is 7.
Durham is located at 56.8° geomagnetic latitude. This latitude means that auroras are not a frequent occurrence.
On average, there are about 2.6 nights per year with sufficient geomagnetic activity for aurora viewing. The historical record spans from 2016 to 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Durham are September, August, and November. These months offer a good balance of darkness and potential aurora activity.
However, it is important to note that during May, June, and July, there is no full darkness. This lack of complete darkness can significantly impact viewing opportunities, even if geomagnetic activity is high.
Durham experiences a Bortle 8 sky, indicating significant light pollution. This makes it challenging to see fainter celestial objects, including auroras.
Areas with darker skies, such as Bortle 4 conditions, are located approximately 37 km east near Tyne and Wear. Bortle 5 skies are found about 32 km north-east, also near Tyne and Wear.
Local terrain features that may affect viewing include Findon Hill to the north-west, Cobbler's Hill to the east-north-east, Houghton-le-Spring Rectory park to the north-east, Match Island to the north, and WWT Washington to the north-north-east.
Several local terrain features offer potential vantage points. Findon Hill is a hill located 5.0 km north-west of Durham.
Cobbler's Hill, another hill, is situated 7.0 km east-north-east of Durham. Houghton-le-Spring Rectory park is a park 9.9 km north-east of the city.
Further afield, Match Island is an island 14.6 km north of Durham, and WWT Washington is a wildlife reserve 14.8 km north-north-east.
Historical records show 232 verified aurora reports within a 300 km radius of Durham 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), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Additional qualifying nights within this span were November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33) and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: 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 Durham.