Aurora Borealis in Skien

Norway · 59.21°, 9.61° · geomagnetic 59.2° · needs Kp 5

Tonight's aurora forecast for Skien

51%

Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Skien needs Kp 5 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.8. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.

Tonight Tue 08 Sep
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Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon

Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC

Local aurora guide for Skien

Skien is located at 59.2° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible when the planetary Kp index reaches 5.

On average, there are 21.5 nights per year in Skien where conditions are suitable 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 Skien are September, March, and October.

During May, June, July, and August, there is no full darkness, which impacts viewing opportunities.

Skien has a Bortle scale rating of 5, indicating moderate light pollution.

Areas with darker skies, rated Bortle 4, can be found approximately 21 km west-north-west near Nome.

Within 8 km north-west of Skien, there are also areas rated Bortle 5.

Lysthushaugen, a hill located 3.0 km north-north-west of Skien, offers a potential viewpoint.

Rustadkollen, another hill, is situated 3.1 km east-north-east of Skien.

Vestre Vealøs, a peak 5.9 km east-north-east of Skien, and Heivannet lake, 6.9 km north-north-east of Skien, are also noted geographic features.

There have been 24 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Skien between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.

The period from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026, includes several nights with Kp values of 5.0 or higher, indicating potential aurora visibility.

Specific qualifying nights recorded include March 24, 2026 (Kp 5.0), March 23, 2026 (Kp 5.0), March 22, 2026 (Kp 6.67), March 21, 2026 (Kp 6.0), and March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0).

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 Skien forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.

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Nearby towns

Forecasts for places within reach of Skien.