Aurora Borealis in Grangemouth
United Kingdom · 56.01°, -3.72° · geomagnetic 58.3° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Grangemouth
39%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Grangemouth 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 Grangemouth
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 39%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Grangemouth 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 Grangemouth
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Grangemouth
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 Grangemouth 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 Grangemouth horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Grangemouth is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 7. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 27 km north — around Perth and Kinross → Bortle 5
- 42 km north-west — around Stirling → 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 Grangemouth. 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 Grangemouth 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 — 166 km north — and needs only Kp 5.
| Grangemouth | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.3° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
252 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Grangemouth 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 Grangemouth
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 Grangemouth.
- Righead Hill — hill8.4 km north-north-east
- Peathill — hill9.2 km north-north-east
- A-Line Light (historical) — lighthouse9.4 km east-north-east
- Torry Bay — bay9.7 km east-north-east
- Inch — island12.0 km north-north-west
- Ironmill Bay — bay12.8 km east-north-east
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. Close to Grangemouth you will find Cambuskenneth Abbey, Castle Campbell and Rosyth Castle.
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 Grangemouth will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Grange Manor Hotel 0.8 km from the centre
- Airth Castle & Spa Resort 6.3 km from the centre
- Airth Castle Hotel And Spa 6.3 km from the centre
- Airth Castle Hotel 7.0 km from the centre
- Golden Lion Hotel Stirling 14.6 km from the centre
- Hillhead Farm Lets - Guest House 14.7 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 Grangemouth 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 Grangemouth forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Grangemouth
Can you see the aurora borealis from Grangemouth?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Grangemouth 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 Grangemouth?
Kp 5. Grangemouth sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.3°, 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 Grangemouth?
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 Grangemouth never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Grangemouth?
The centre of Grangemouth reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 42 km north-west around Stirling. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Grangemouth with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 166 km north. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.6 in Grangemouth.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Grangemouth.