Aurora Borealis in Kirkby
United Kingdom · 53.48°, -2.89° · geomagnetic 55.7° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Kirkby
10%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Kirkby 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 Kirkby
Kirkby is located at 55.7° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude when the Kp index reaches 7.
On average, there are 2.7 nights per year when conditions are suitable for aurora viewing in this region. The record span for these observations is from 2016 to 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Kirkby are September, August, and November. These months offer a good balance of darkness and potential aurora activity.
However, from May to July, there is no full darkness due to the high latitude and time of year. This period significantly reduces the chances of observing the aurora.
Kirkby experiences a Bortle 7 sky, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with darker skies, such as Bortle 4, can be found 57 km west, and Bortle 5 skies are 40 km west.
Notable features to the east include Crank Hill (9.9 km) and Billinge Hill (12.0 km). To the north-north-east is Goose Island (11.2 km).
Further west, Cabin Hill National Nature Reserve is 14.1 km away, and WWT Martin Mere is 15.8 km to the north.
Between 2015 and 2016, there were 225 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Kirkby.
Notable qualifying nights in the historical record include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Additional significant nights were November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33) and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: 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 Kirkby 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 Kirkby.