Aurora Borealis in Preston
United Kingdom · 53.76°, -2.70° · geomagnetic 56.0° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Preston
12%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Preston needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.9. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for Preston
Preston is at a geomagnetic latitude of 56.0 degrees. Auroras are typically visible when the Kp index reaches 7 or higher.
With an average of 2.7 viable nights per year, patience is key for aurora viewing in this region. The recorded period for these observations spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The darkest months for viewing in Preston are May, June, and July, when there is no full darkness. The aurora viewing season is best during September, August, and November.
Preston experiences a Bortle 6 sky. Areas with darker skies, such as Bortle 4, can be found 30 km north-north-east near Ribble Valley, and Bortle 5 skies are 27 km north near Lancaster.
Notable features to the east of Preston include Stanley Hill (hill, 10.7 km), Mellor Moor (hill, 12.1 km), and Longridge Fell (mountain, 16.9 km). To the north-west, Rossall Point (headland, 28.4 km) and Cockerham Lighthouse (lighthouse, 26.9 km) are also present.
Stanley Hill is a hill located 10.7 km east of Preston. Mellor Moor, another hill, is situated 12.1 km east.
Further afield, Longridge Fell, a mountain, lies 16.9 km north-east of Preston. Rossall Point, a headland, is 28.4 km north-west, and Cockerham Lighthouse is 26.9 km north-north-west.
There have been 235 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Preston between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The period from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026, includes several nights with significant geomagnetic activity. These include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Preston forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Preston.