Aurora Borealis in Södermanland
Sweden · 59.04°, 16.57° · geomagnetic 57.9° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Södermanland
39%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Södermanland 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.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
How often the aurora borealis reaches Södermanland
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 Södermanland 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 Södermanland horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Södermanland reads Bortle 5. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 6 km south-west — around Katrineholms kommun → Bortle 5
- 11 km east-south-east — around Flens kommun → 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 Södermanland. 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 Södermanland 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 Bodø, 923 km north in Norway.
| Södermanland | Bodø | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 21.6 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 57.9° | 66.0° |
Confirmed reports from this area
28 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Södermanland 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 Södermanland
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 Södermanland.
- Norrviken — bay3.5 km west-north-west
- Valdemaren — lake4.6 km west-north-west
- Orrhammaren — lake5.0 km north
- Hosjöbadet — beach14.5 km north-east
- Hästön — island15.6 km east-north-east
- Henaredalen Nature Reserve — reserve15.9 km north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Södermanland 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 Södermanland
All 3 places in Södermanland with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- EskilstunaKp 5
- KatrineholmKp 7
- NyköpingKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Södermanland forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Södermanland
Can you see the aurora borealis from Södermanland?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Södermanland 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 Södermanland?
Kp 5. Södermanland sits at geomagnetic latitude 57.9°, 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 Södermanland?
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 Södermanland never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Södermanland?
The centre of Södermanland reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 11 km east-south-east around Flens kommun. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Södermanland with reliable aurora borealis?
Bodø, Norway — 923 km north. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 21.6 in Södermanland.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Södermanland.