Aurora Borealis in Rathfarnham
Ireland · 53.30°, -6.28° · geomagnetic 56.1° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Rathfarnham
15%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Rathfarnham 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 10:36 UTC
Local aurora guide for Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham is located at 56.1° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras visible here typically require a Kp of 7 or higher.
On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year with conditions suitable for aurora viewing. The historical record spans from 2016 to 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Rathfarnham are September, August, and November. During these months, the nights are typically dark enough to observe the aurora.
Conversely, May, June, and July experience periods without full darkness, which can make aurora sightings less likely.
Rathfarnham has a Bortle scale rating of 7, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with Bortle 4 skies are found 29 km to the north-east, and Bortle 5 skies are 20 km to the east-south-east.
The horizon is relatively clear in most directions. Notable features include Brickfields Park to the north-north-west, Saint Stephens Green Park to the north-north-east, and Merrion Strand to the east-north-east.
Brickfields Park is a park located 3.6 km north-west of Rathfarnham.
Saint Stephens Green Park is a park situated 4.5 km north-east of Rathfarnham.
Merrion Strand and Sandymount Strand are beaches located to the east-north-east of Rathfarnham. North Bull Island is an island further to the north-east.
There have been 124 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Rathfarnham between 2015 and 2016.
Notable qualifying nights with high Kp values include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Additional qualifying nights occurred on 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 Rathfarnham 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 Rathfarnham.