Aurora Borealis in Rutherglen
United Kingdom · 55.83°, -4.21° · geomagnetic 58.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight's aurora forecast for Rutherglen
48%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Rutherglen needs Kp 5 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 Rutherglen
Rutherglen is at a geomagnetic latitude of 58.2 degrees. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude when the Kp index reaches 5.
On average, there are 22.6 nights per year with conditions suitable for aurora viewing in Rutherglen. The historical record spans from 2016 to 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Rutherglen are September, March, and October. These months offer a good balance of darkness and aurora activity.
During May, June, and July, Rutherglen experiences periods without full darkness, which can impact aurora visibility.
Rutherglen has a Bortle scale rating of 8, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with less light pollution, such as near Stirling (Bortle 4) 47 km to the north, or West Dunbartonshire (Bortle 5) 26 km to the north-west, may offer better viewing conditions.
The local horizon includes features such as Parkhead (3.0 km north-east), Queen's Park (3.5 km west), Maxwell Park (4.9 km west-north-west), Letham Hill (5.4 km north-north-east), and Dumbreck (5.6 km west-north-west).
The landscape around Rutherglen includes Parkhead, a cape located 3.0 km to the north-east. Queen's Park, a park, is situated 3.5 km to the west.
Further west-north-west are Maxwell Park (4.9 km) and Dumbreck (5.6 km), both identified as hills. Letham Hill, also a hill, is located 5.4 km to the north-north-east.
There have been 253 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Rutherglen between January 2015 and December 2016.
The historical record shows qualifying nights, such as March 20, 2026, with a Kp index of 7.0, and March 21, 2026, with a Kp index of 6.0. Other qualifying nights include March 22, 2026 (Kp 6.67), March 23, 2026 (Kp 5.0), and March 24, 2026 (Kp 5.0).
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 Rutherglen 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 Rutherglen.