Aurora Borealis in Edinburgh
United Kingdom · 55.95°, -3.20° · geomagnetic 58.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Edinburgh
37%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 37%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Edinburgh
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 Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 514,990 people around you, the sky over central Edinburgh is Bortle 7. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 13 km east-north-east — around Selkirkshire → Bortle 5
- 28 km east — around East Lothian → Bortle 4
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 Edinburgh. 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 Edinburgh 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 — 181 km north-north-west — and needs only Kp 5.
| Edinburgh | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.2° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
250 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh
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 Edinburgh.
- Corstorphine Hill — hill4.8 km west
- Portobello Beach — beach5.4 km east
- Cramond beach — beach7.1 km west-north-west
- Cramond Island — island7.4 km north-west
- Inchmickery — island8.2 km north-west
- Lennie Hill — hill8.4 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. Edinburgh keeps its fortified past above ground, at Leith Fort, Lauriston Castle and Colinswell Mediumwave Transmitter, and for a day when the cloud sits low, Scottish National Gallery, Musée national d'Écosse and The Scotish Museums Coouncil 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
Staying central in Edinburgh is fine for everything except the aurora itself — you will still need to drive out. If seeing it matters more than convenience, base yourself on the edge of town facing your dark spot.
- Le Monde Hotel 0.1 km from the centre
- Travelodge Rose Street Hotel 0.1 km from the centre
- Travelodge Central Rose Street 0.1 km from the centre
- Hanover Hotel 0.2 km from the centre
- Mount Royal Ramada Jarvis 0.2 km from the centre
- Old Waverley Hotel 0.2 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 Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Edinburgh
Can you see the aurora borealis from Edinburgh?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh?
Kp 5. Edinburgh sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.2°, 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 Edinburgh?
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 Edinburgh never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Edinburgh?
The centre of Edinburgh reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 28 km east around East Lothian. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Edinburgh with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 181 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.6 in Edinburgh.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Edinburgh.