Aurora Borealis in Kilkenny
Ireland · 52.65°, -7.25° · geomagnetic 55.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Kilkenny
9%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny
Kilkenny is at 55.6° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible here when the planetary Kp index reaches 7.
On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year when conditions are suitable for aurora viewing in Kilkenny.
The historical record for aurora sightings in this region spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Kilkenny are September, August, and November.
During June and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing conditions.
Kilkenny has a Bortle scale rating of 5, indicating a suburban sky.
Areas with darker skies, rated Bortle 4, are located 24 km south-east near County Kilkenny.
Other areas rated Bortle 5 are found 11 km north near County Kilkenny. Notable terrain features include Freestone Hill (hill, 8.3 km east), Baunreagh (mountain, 14.0 km north-east), Monabrogue (hill, 14.4 km west-north-west), Knocknabranagh (mountain, 15.2 km north-east), and Grantstown Lough (lake, 29.4 km north-west).
Freestone Hill is a hill located 8.3 km east of Kilkenny.
Baunreagh is a mountain situated 14.0 km north-east of Kilkenny.
Monabrogue is a hill found 14.4 km west-north-west of Kilkenny. Knocknabranagh, a mountain, is 15.2 km north-east of Kilkenny, and Grantstown Lough, a lake, is 29.4 km north-west of Kilkenny.
There have been 67 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Kilkenny between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
Notable historical qualifying nights include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon location dataset · 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
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Kilkenny forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Kilkenny.