Aurora Borealis in Motherwell
United Kingdom · 55.79°, -3.99° · geomagnetic 58.1° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Motherwell
39%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Motherwell needs Kp 5, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. That is on the threshold rather than over it, so cloud and moonlight will decide the night.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Motherwell
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 39%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Motherwell needs: Sunday 2 Aug, at Kp 5.7. 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 Motherwell
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Motherwell
22.7 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
Worth watching through the dark half of the year
Kp 5 is a moderate storm — not an everyday event, but common enough that a patient observer in Motherwell sees the aurora borealis most winters.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.8 | 10.3 | 8.1 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 12.3 |
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 Motherwell horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Motherwell reads Bortle 7. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 36 km south-south-east — around South Lanarkshire → Bortle 5
- 54 km north-north-west — around Stirling → 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, March and October came out ahead in Motherwell. 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 Motherwell 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
Inverness is close enough to reach and return in a night — 188 km north — and needs only Kp 5.
| Motherwell | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.7 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.1° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
254 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Motherwell 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 Motherwell
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 Motherwell.
- Cant Hills — hill11.1 km east-north-east
- Duntilland Hill — hill11.2 km north-east
- Parkhead — cape13.7 km west-north-west
- Spiers Island — island13.7 km north-east
- Hogganfield Loch — lake15.1 km north-west
- Queen's Park — park18.0 km west-north-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. Close to Motherwell you will find Dechmont Hill Mediumwave Transmitter, Mast 1, Dechmont Hill Mediumwave Transmitter, Mast 2 and Dechmont Hill Mediumwave Transmitter, Mast 3.
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
Anywhere on the outskirts of Motherwell will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Alona Hotel 2.1 km from the centre
- Hampton by Hilton Hamilton Park 3.7 km from the centre
- Express Holiday Inn M74 Jct 5 3.8 km from the centre
- Express By Holiday Inn Strathclyde Glasgow 4.0 km from the centre
- Bothwell Bridge Hotel 5.2 km from the centre
- DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Strathclyde 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 Motherwell and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-24 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-23 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-22 | Kp 6.67 |
| 2026-03-21 | Kp 6.0 |
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Motherwell forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Motherwell
Can you see the aurora borealis from Motherwell?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Motherwell had about 22.7 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 Motherwell?
Kp 5. Motherwell sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.1°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 5. Storms that size occur about 28.7 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Motherwell?
September, March and October. 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 Motherwell never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Motherwell?
The centre of Motherwell reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 54 km north-north-west around Stirling. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Motherwell with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 188 km north. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.7 in Motherwell.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Motherwell.