Aurora Borealis in Leinster
Ireland · 53.31°, -6.50° · geomagnetic 56.1° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Leinster
20%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Leinster needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Leinster
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 20%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Leinster needs, which is normal rather than unlucky — it averages 2.7 viable nights a year. 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 Leinster
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Leinster
2.7 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
Wait for an alert; do not book a week
At Kp 7, Leinster needs a severe geomagnetic storm before anything shows above the northern horizon. Storms that size arrive a handful of times per solar cycle and announce themselves a day or two ahead. Watching for one beats picking dates and hoping.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.7 | 10.3 | 8.4 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 12.1 |
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 Leinster horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 1,935,997 people around you, the sky over central Leinster is Bortle 8. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 34 km east-south-east → Bortle 5
- 39 km east-north-east → Bortle 4
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, August and November came out ahead in Leinster. 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 Leinster 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
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Inverness, 485 km north-north-east in United Kingdom.
| Leinster | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 2.7 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 56.1° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
122 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Leinster 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 Leinster
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 Leinster.
- Saint Patrick’s Hill — hill5.8 km west-north-west
- Moyle Park — park6.7 km east
- Tolka Valley Park — park11.9 km north-east
- Sandymount Strand — beach20.0 km east
- Merrion Strand — beach20.2 km east
- Crockberry Hill — hill21.9 km west
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
What to do with the daylight
Aurora watching is a night job, and in winter that leaves a short, bright day to fill. Leinster keeps its fortified past above ground, at Nangor Castle, Dublin Castle and Donadea Castle, and for a day when the cloud sits low, Kilmainham Gaol, Collins Barracks and The Steam Museum are indoors and near by.
Keep the daylight loose: the sky decides the evening, and the forecast can turn within a few hours.
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Staying central in Leinster is fine for everything except the aurora itself — you will still need to drive out. If seeing it matters more than convenience, base yourself on the edge of town facing your dark spot.
- Finnstown Castle Hotel 3.9 km from the centre
- Finnstown Country House Hotel Dublin 4.4 km from the centre
- Setanta House Hotel 4.6 km from the centre
- Celbridge Manor Hotel 4.9 km from the centre
- Finnstown Country House 5.0 km from the centre
- Lucan Spa Hotel 5.4 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 Leinster and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
| 2026-01-20 | Kp 7.67 |
| 2026-01-19 | Kp 8.67 |
| 2025-11-12 | Kp 7.33 |
| 2025-11-11 | Kp 8.67 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Leinster
All 27 places in Leinster with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- An Muileann gCearrKp 7
- AthloneKp 7
- BalbrigganKp 7
- BlanchardstownKp 7
- BrayKp 7
- CarlowKp 7
- CelbridgeKp 7
- DonaghmedeKp 7
- DroghedaKp 7
- Droichead NuaKp 7
- DublinKp 7
- DundalkKp 7
- Dún LaoghaireKp 7
- FinglasKp 7
- GreystonesKp 7
- KilkennyKp 7
- LeixlipKp 7
- LucanKp 7
- MalahideKp 7
- NaasKp 7
- NavanKp 7
- RathfarnhamKp 7
- SandyfordKp 7
- South DublinKp 7
- SwordsKp 7
- TallaghtKp 7
- WexfordKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Leinster forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Leinster
Can you see the aurora borealis from Leinster?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Leinster had about 2.7 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 Leinster?
Kp 7. Leinster sits at geomagnetic latitude 56.1°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 7. Storms that size occur about 3.2 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Leinster?
September, August and November. 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 Leinster never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Leinster?
The centre of Leinster reads Bortle 8. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 39 km east-north-east. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Leinster with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 485 km north-north-east. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 2.7 in Leinster.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Leinster.