Aurora Borealis in Newcastle under Lyme
United Kingdom · 53.00°, -2.23° · geomagnetic 55.2° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Newcastle under Lyme
14%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Newcastle under Lyme 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 Newcastle under Lyme
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 14%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Newcastle under Lyme 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 Newcastle under Lyme
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Newcastle under Lyme
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, Newcastle under Lyme 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 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 7.4 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 12.1 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from June to July
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Newcastle under Lyme horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Newcastle under Lyme reads Bortle 7. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 58 km west-south-west — around Shropshire → Bortle 5
- 89 km west-south-west — around Powys → 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 Newcastle under Lyme. 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 Newcastle under Lyme 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, 514 km north-north-west in United Kingdom.
| Newcastle under Lyme | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 2.7 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 55.2° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
117 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Newcastle under Lyme 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 Newcastle under Lyme
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 Newcastle under Lyme.
- Banktop Hill — hill4.6 km west-north-west
- Bradwell Hall — hill5.0 km north
- The Cloud — mountain19.8 km north-north-east
- Blackshaw Moor — moor22.3 km north-east
- Duckbay Island — island25.5 km west
- Axe Edge — mountain30.9 km north-east
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. Newcastle under Lyme keeps its fortified past above ground, at Newcastle under Lyme Castle, Heighley and Hulton Abbey, Stoke-on-Trent, GB.
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 Newcastle under Lyme will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Hastings Slieve Donard Hotel 1.0 km from the centre
- Travelodge Newcastle Under Lyme Central 1.3 km from the centre
- Travelodge Newcastle Under Lyme 1.3 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Express Stoke On Trent 3.3 km from the centre
- North Stafford Britannia Hotel 3.7 km from the centre
- Moat House 3.9 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 Newcastle under Lyme 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
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Newcastle under Lyme forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Newcastle under Lyme
Can you see the aurora borealis from Newcastle under Lyme?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Newcastle under Lyme 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 Newcastle under Lyme?
Kp 7. Newcastle under Lyme sits at geomagnetic latitude 55.2°, 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 Newcastle under Lyme?
September, August and November. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From June to July the sky over Newcastle under Lyme never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Newcastle under Lyme?
The centre of Newcastle under Lyme reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 89 km west-south-west around Powys. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Newcastle under Lyme with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 514 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 2.7 in Newcastle under Lyme.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Newcastle under Lyme.