Aurora Borealis in Greenock
United Kingdom · 55.95°, -4.76° · geomagnetic 58.4° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Greenock
41%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Greenock 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 Greenock
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 Greenock 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 Greenock
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Greenock
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 Greenock 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 Greenock horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Greenock reads Bortle 5. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 6 km north — around Strathclyde Region → Bortle 5
- 31 km west — around Argyll and Bute → 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 Greenock. 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 Greenock 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 — 173 km north — and needs only Kp 5.
| Greenock | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.4° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
239 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Greenock 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 Greenock
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 Greenock.
- Gourock Bay — bay3.3 km west-north-west
- Kempock Point — headland3.9 km west-north-west
- Tower Hill — hill3.9 km west-north-west
- Meikleross Bay — bay4.4 km north-north-west
- Roseneath Point — headland4.4 km north
- Green Island — island4.7 km north
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Greenock will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Tontine Hotel 0.6 km from the centre
- Rosslea Hall Hotel 7.4 km from the centre
- Ardencaple 7.6 km from the centre
- Rosslea Hall Country House 7.7 km from the centre
- Hunters Quay Hotel 9.5 km from the centre
- Best Western Argyll Hotel 10.1 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 Greenock 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 Greenock forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Greenock
Can you see the aurora borealis from Greenock?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Greenock 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 Greenock?
Kp 5. Greenock 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 Greenock?
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 Greenock never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Greenock?
The centre of Greenock reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 3 is about 31 km west around Argyll and Bute. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Greenock with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 173 km north. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.6 in Greenock.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Greenock.