Aurora Borealis in Lancaster
United Kingdom · 54.05°, -2.80° · geomagnetic 56.3° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Lancaster
15%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Lancaster 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.
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Updated 2026-09-08 10:36 UTC
Local aurora guide for Lancaster
Lancaster is at 56.3° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude during intense geomagnetic storms, which occur when the planetary Kp index reaches 7.
On average, there are 2.6 nights per year in Lancaster where the Kp index reaches this threshold. These events are rare, requiring patience and favorable conditions.
The best months for aurora viewing in Lancaster are September, August, and November. These months offer a good balance of darkness and potential aurora activity.
However, from May to July, there is not enough full darkness for aurora viewing due to the high latitude and time of year.
Lancaster has a Bortle scale rating of 5, indicating a suburban sky. Areas with less light pollution, such as Bortle 4 skies, can be found 20 km east-south-east near Ribble Valley.
Closer to the city, Bortle 5 conditions extend to about 6 km south-south-east.
Local terrain features that may affect the horizon include Torrisholme Barrow to the north-north-west, Knots Wood to the east-north-east, Morecambe Bay to the west-north-west, Jenny Brown's Point to the north, and Humphrey Head Point to the north-west.
Torrisholme Barrow, a hill located 3.3 km north-north-west of Lancaster, offers a potential vantage point.
Knots Wood, a hill situated 3.5 km east-north-east of Lancaster, is another nearby area.
Morecambe Bay lies 5.7 km west-north-west of Lancaster, and Jenny Brown's Point, a headland, is 12.1 km north of the city. Humphrey Head Point, another headland, is 15.3 km north-west of Lancaster.
Between 2016 and 2026, there were 2.6 nights per year on average in Lancaster suitable for aurora viewing.
The historical record shows qualifying nights occurred on 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 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)
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Forecasts for places within reach of Lancaster.