Aurora Borealis in Scunthorpe
United Kingdom · 53.58°, -0.65° · geomagnetic 55.5° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Scunthorpe
6%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Scunthorpe 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.
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Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is at a geomagnetic latitude of 55.5°. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude during periods of high geomagnetic activity, specifically when the Kp index reaches 7 or above.
On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year in this region where conditions are suitable for aurora viewing. The historical record for aurora observations in this area spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Scunthorpe are September, August, and November. During these months, the duration of darkness is sufficient for potential aurora sightings.
Conversely, the months of May, June, and July experience periods without full darkness, which can make aurora viewing more challenging.
Scunthorpe has a Bortle scale rating of 7, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with lower Bortle ratings offer darker skies.
Darker sky areas, such as Bortle 4, can be found approximately 47 km east-north-east near East Riding of Yorkshire. Bortle 5 conditions are available around 45 km south-east near East Lindsey.
Local terrain features that may affect viewing include Sheffield's Hill to the north-north-east, Coleby Wood to the north, Read's Island to the north-north-east, Whitton Island to the north, and Thorne Waste to the west-north-west.
Features that may influence aurora viewing in the Scunthorpe area include Sheffield's Hill, located 5.3 km north-north-east. Coleby Wood is situated 9.6 km north.
Further afield, Read's Island is 13.8 km north-north-east, and Whitton Island is 14.6 km north. Thorne Waste, a moorland area, lies 15.7 km west-north-west.
Between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, there were 104 verified aurora reports within a 300 km radius of Scunthorpe. The period for which aurora data is available spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
Notable historical periods of high geomagnetic activity 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
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