Aurora Borealis in Rogaland
Norway · 59.08°, 5.58° · geomagnetic 59.7° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Rogaland
42%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Rogaland 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 Rogaland
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 42%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Rogaland 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 Rogaland
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Rogaland
21.6 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
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 Rogaland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0 | 10.2 | 7.8 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 12.5 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from May to August
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Rogaland horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 274,389 people around you, the sky over central Rogaland is Bortle 6. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 20 km north-north-west — around Bokn → Bortle 5
- 21 km north-north-east — around Stavanger → 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 Rogaland. 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 Rogaland 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
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Inverness, 599 km west-south-west in United Kingdom.
| Rogaland | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 21.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 59.7° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
10 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Rogaland 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 Rogaland
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 Rogaland.
- Rabnafjellet — hill3.1 km north-north-east
- Mosterøya — island3.4 km east-north-east
- Skjenet — headland4.1 km north
- Larsahola — headland4.1 km north
- Knott — mountain4.6 km north-east
- Kjerringholmen — island4.8 km west-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. Rogaland keeps its fortified past above ground, at Bokn TV Mast, Kvitsoy Mediumwave Broadcasting Tower and Madlamoen.
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 Rogaland 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.
- Amoy Fjordferie 8.8 km from the centre
- Viste Strandhotell 10.4 km from the centre
- First Hotel Alstor 13.0 km from the centre
- Skansen Hotel 14.5 km from the centre
- Victoria 14.6 km from the centre
- Hotel Victoria 14.6 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 Rogaland 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
Aurora forecasts across Rogaland
All 3 places in Rogaland with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Rogaland forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Rogaland
Can you see the aurora borealis from Rogaland?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Rogaland had about 21.6 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 Rogaland?
Kp 5. Rogaland sits at geomagnetic latitude 59.7°, 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 Rogaland?
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 August the sky over Rogaland never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Rogaland?
The centre of Rogaland reads Bortle 6. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 21 km north-north-east around Stavanger. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Rogaland with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 599 km west-south-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 21.6 in Rogaland.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Rogaland.
- 🇳🇴 Haugesund - Norway41 km
- 🇳🇴 Ytrebygda - Norway137 km
- 🇳🇴 Nesttun - Norway138 km
- 🇳🇴 Bergen - Norway147 km
- 🇳🇴 Kristiansand - Norway174 km
- 🇳🇴 Grimstad - Norway192 km
- 🇳🇴 Arendal - Norway196 km
- 🇳🇴 Skien - Norway230 km