Aurora Borealis in Kotka

Finland · 60.47°, 26.95° · geomagnetic 57.7° · needs Kp 7

Tonight's aurora forecast for Kotka

21%

Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Kotka needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.

Tonight Tue 08 Sep
21%
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Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon

Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC

Local aurora guide for Kotka

Kotka is located at 57.7° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras visible at this latitude typically require a Kp index of 7 or higher.

On average, there are about 2.3 nights per year with conditions suitable for aurora viewing in Kotka. These opportunities are recorded between April 2, 2016, and March 30, 2026.

The darkest months in Kotka are May, June, July, and August. However, the best months for aurora viewing, when dark skies overlap with potential aurora activity, are September, November, and March.

Kotka experiences a Bortle 7 light pollution level. Areas with darker skies, such as Bortle 4 conditions, can be found 29 km south-east near Kotka, and Bortle 5 conditions are available 17 km east-north-east near Hamina.

Several locations around Kotka offer varied horizons. These include the island of Leppäkari to the west-north-west, the headland of Vasikkaniemi to the west, and the island of Jyrkäksensaari to the north-east.

Geographic features near Kotka include the reserve Langinkosken Luonnonsuojelualue, located 4.0 km north-west, and the hill Paaskallio, situated 4.4 km north-north-east.

Islands such as Leppäkari, 3.4 km west-north-west, and Jyrkäksensaari, 3.5 km north-north-east, are also present.

The headland Vasikkaniemi is 3.5 km west of Kotka.

Between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, there were 40 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Kotka.

Notable qualifying nights with a Kp index of 7.0 or higher 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 Kotka forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.

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Nearby towns

Forecasts for places within reach of Kotka.