Aurora Borealis in Eskilstuna
Sweden · 59.37°, 16.51° · geomagnetic 58.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Eskilstuna
36%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 36%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Eskilstuna
21.3 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 Eskilstuna 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0 | 10.2 | 7.7 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 12.5 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from May to August
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Eskilstuna horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Eskilstuna reads Bortle 7. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 32 km west-south-west — around Katrineholms kommun → Bortle 5
- 43 km south-south-east — around Flens kommun → 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 Eskilstuna. 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 Eskilstuna viewing season.
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
- 08 Mar 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Bodø, 887 km north in Norway.
| Eskilstuna | Bodø | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 21.3 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.2° | 66.0° |
Confirmed reports from this area
29 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna
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 Eskilstuna.
- Bergsjön — lake7.1 km west-north-west
- Väsbyviken — bay8.5 km north-north-west
- Blacken — bay11.2 km north
- Räfsgarn — island11.3 km north-north-east
- Kvarnhällen — hill11.3 km west-north-west
- Harklinten — island12.3 km north-north-west
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Eskilstuna will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Best Western Plaza Hotel 0.5 km from the centre
- Elite Stadshotellet 0.8 km from the centre
- Comfort Hotel Eskilstuna 0.8 km from the centre
- Clarion Collection Htl Bolinder Munktell 1.1 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 Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Eskilstuna
Can you see the aurora borealis from Eskilstuna?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Eskilstuna had about 21.3 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 Eskilstuna?
Kp 5. Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna?
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 August the sky over Eskilstuna never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Eskilstuna?
The centre of Eskilstuna reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 43 km south-south-east around Flens kommun. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Eskilstuna with reliable aurora borealis?
Bodø, Norway — 887 km north. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 21.3 in Eskilstuna.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Eskilstuna.