Aurora Borealis in Peterhead
United Kingdom · 57.51°, -1.78° · geomagnetic 59.4° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Peterhead
44%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Peterhead 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 Peterhead
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 44%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Peterhead 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 Peterhead
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Peterhead
21.9 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 Peterhead 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.9 | 10.3 | 8.0 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 6.8 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 12.4 |
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 Peterhead horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Peterhead is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 3. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 2 km east-south-east → Bortle 3
- 2 km east-south-east → Bortle 3
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 Peterhead. 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 Peterhead viewing season.
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
- 08 Mar 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
Inverness is close enough to reach and return in a night — 146 km west — and needs only Kp 5.
| Peterhead | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 21.9 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 59.4° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
167 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Peterhead 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 Peterhead
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 Peterhead.
- Kirkton Head — headland5.1 km north
- Scotstown Head — headland5.1 km north
- Rattray Bay — bay8.7 km north
- Rattray Head — cape11.7 km north
- Rattray Head Lighthouse — lighthouse11.8 km north
- Loch of Strathbeg — lake14.0 km north-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 Peterhead you will find Crimond Royal Naval Wireless Telegraphy Station, Mast Southeast, Crimond Royal Naval Wireless Telegraphy Station, Mast Southwest and Crimond Royal Naval Wireless Telegraphy Station, Large Mast.
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 Peterhead will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- The Waterside 2.9 km from the centre
- Swallow Waterside Inn 3.0 km from the centre
- Waterside Inn 3.0 km from the centre
- Gartmore House 4.0 km from the centre
- Kilmarnock Arms Hotel 10.5 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 Peterhead 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 Peterhead forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Peterhead
Can you see the aurora borealis from Peterhead?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Peterhead had about 21.9 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 Peterhead?
Kp 5. Peterhead sits at geomagnetic latitude 59.4°, 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 Peterhead?
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 Peterhead never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Peterhead?
The centre of Peterhead reads Bortle 3. The nearest sky at Bortle 3 is about 2 km east-south-east. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Peterhead with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 146 km west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 21.9 in Peterhead.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Peterhead.