Aurora Borealis in Shirley
United Kingdom · 52.41°, -1.82° · geomagnetic 54.5° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Shirley
2%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Shirley 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 Shirley
Auroras are typically visible when the geomagnetic activity reaches Kp 7 or higher. Shirley is located at 54.5° geomagnetic latitude.
On average, there are about 2.7 nights per year with sufficient geomagnetic activity for aurora viewing. The record span for these observations is from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Shirley are September, August, and November. During these months, the nights are typically dark enough to observe the aurora.
June and July experience periods without full darkness, which can make aurora viewing more challenging.
Shirley has a Bortle scale rating of 7, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with Bortle 4 or 5 ratings, such as those found 82 km and 66 km west-south-west near Herefordshire respectively, offer darker skies.
The horizon to the east-north-east is marked by Crescent Wood Island, an island 8.3 km away, and Packington Park, a park 11.2 km away. To the west, Frankley Beeches, a hill, is 13.1 km away. Further west-north-west, Warley Park, another hill, is 13.2 km away, and Leasowes Park, a park, is 15.4 km away.
Crescent Wood Island is an island located 8.3 km east-north-east of Shirley. Packington Park, a park, is situated 11.2 km east-north-east.
To the west of Shirley, Frankley Beeches is a hill 13.1 km away. Warley Park, another hill, is 13.2 km west-north-west, and Leasowes Park, a park, is 15.4 km west-north-west.
There have been 97 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Shirley between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
Notable qualifying nights with high geomagnetic activity (Kp 7.0 or higher) occurred on 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 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 Shirley 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 Shirley.