Aurora Borealis in Northern Ireland
United Kingdom · 54.66°, -6.29° · geomagnetic 57.4° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Northern Ireland
29%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Northern Ireland 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 Northern Ireland
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 29%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Northern Ireland needs, which is normal rather than unlucky — it averages 2.6 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 Northern Ireland
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Northern Ireland
2.6 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, Northern Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.8 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 7.2 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 12.2 |
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 Northern Ireland horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 1,075,354 people around you, the sky over central Northern Ireland is Bortle 5. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 10 km north-north-east — around Antrim and Newtownabbey District → Bortle 5
- 36 km east-north-east — around Mid and East Antrim District → 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 Northern Ireland. 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 Northern Ireland 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, 339 km north-north-east in United Kingdom.
| Northern Ireland | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 2.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 57.4° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
239 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Northern Ireland 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 Northern Ireland
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 Northern Ireland.
- Dunore Point — headland3.8 km north-east
- Antrim Bay — bay4.7 km north-north-east
- Carnearny — hill14.3 km north-north-east
- Lough Beg — lake17.7 km north-west
- Big Collin — mountain20.7 km north-east
- Carnmoney Hill — hill23.0 km 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. Close to Northern Ireland you will find Skady Tower, Clover Hill and Black Mountain Transmitting Station.
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 Northern Ireland 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.
- Maldron Hotel Belfast International Airport 4.7 km from the centre
- Ballyrobin Country Lodge 6.4 km from the centre
- Comfort Hotel Antrim 7.4 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Express Antrim 7.6 km from the centre
- Dobbins Inn 7.7 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Express (h) 8.1 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 Northern Ireland 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 Northern Ireland
All 18 places in Northern Ireland with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- AntrimKp 7
- BallymenaKp 7
- BanbridgeKp 7
- BangorKp 7
- BelfastKp 7
- CarrickfergusKp 7
- CastlereaghKp 7
- ColeraineKp 7
- CraigavonKp 7
- DerryKp 7
- LarneKp 7
- LisburnKp 7
- Londonderry County BoroughKp 7
- NewryKp 7
- NewtownabbeyKp 7
- NewtownardsKp 7
- OmaghKp 7
- PortadownKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Northern Ireland forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Northern Ireland
Can you see the aurora borealis from Northern Ireland?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Northern Ireland had about 2.6 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 Northern Ireland?
Kp 7. Northern Ireland sits at geomagnetic latitude 57.4°, 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 Northern Ireland?
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 Northern Ireland never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Northern Ireland?
The centre of Northern Ireland reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 36 km east-north-east around Mid and East Antrim District. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Northern Ireland with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 339 km north-north-east. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 2.6 in Northern Ireland.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Northern Ireland.