Aurora Borealis in Newton Mearns
United Kingdom · 55.77°, -4.33° · geomagnetic 58.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Newton Mearns
39%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Newton Mearns 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 Newton Mearns
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 Newton Mearns 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 Newton Mearns
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Newton Mearns
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 Newton Mearns 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 | 8.2 | 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 Newton Mearns horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Newton Mearns is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 8. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 27 km north-north-west — around West Dunbartonshire → Bortle 5
- 53 km north — 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 Newton Mearns. 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 Newton Mearns 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 — 190 km north — and needs only Kp 5.
| Newton Mearns | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 22.7 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.2° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
255 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Newton Mearns 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 Newton Mearns
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 Newton Mearns.
- Duncarnock — hill3.6 km west
- Dyke Hill — hill4.8 km west
- Queen's Park — park7.7 km north-north-east
- Bellahouston Park — park7.9 km north
- Prince's Dock (historical) — bay9.6 km north-north-east
- Meadowside Light (historical) — lighthouse10.6 km north
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 Newton Mearns you will find Dechmont Hill Mediumwave Transmitter, Mast 1, Dechmont Hill Mediumwave Transmitter, Mast 2 and Dechmont Hill Mediumwave Transmitter, Mast 3, and for a day when the cloud sits low, Scotland Street School Museum, Museum the Art at Paisley High Street free and People's Palace 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
Anywhere on the outskirts of Newton Mearns will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- The Redhurst Hotel 3.6 km from the centre
- The Busby Hotel 4.3 km from the centre
- Giffnock 4.3 km from the centre
- Dalmeny Park House 5.1 km from the centre
- Hotel Best Western City Glasgow 7.3 km from the centre
- Queen Park Budget Hotel 7.8 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 Newton Mearns 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 Newton Mearns forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Newton Mearns
Can you see the aurora borealis from Newton Mearns?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Newton Mearns 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 Newton Mearns?
Kp 5. Newton Mearns sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.2°, 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 Newton Mearns?
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 Newton Mearns never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Newton Mearns?
The centre of Newton Mearns reads Bortle 8. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 53 km north around Stirling. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Newton Mearns with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 190 km north. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 22.7 in Newton Mearns.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Newton Mearns.