Aurora Borealis in Telemark
Norway · 59.17°, 9.63° · geomagnetic 59.1° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Telemark
39%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Telemark needs Kp 5, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. That is on the threshold rather than over it, so cloud and moonlight will decide the night.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Telemark
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 39%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Telemark needs: Sunday 2 Aug, at Kp 5.7. The 23 nights past the seven-day window move with the 27-day solar rotation and are updated daily in the app.
Nights 8–30 unlock in the Revon app
See all 30 nights for Telemark
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Telemark
21.5 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 Telemark 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 | 3.5 | 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 Telemark horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Telemark reads Bortle 5. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 11 km north-east — around Siljan → Bortle 5
- 23 km west-north-west — around Nome → 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 Telemark. 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 Telemark 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 Inverness, 829 km west in United Kingdom.
| Telemark | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 21.5 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 59.1° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
24 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Telemark 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 Telemark
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 Telemark.
- Hjellevannet — lake3.2 km north-west
- Løberghaugen — hill3.2 km north-north-east
- Vinddalsåsen — hill3.3 km west-north-west
- Børsesjø — lake6.0 km north
- Vestre Vealøs — peak7.8 km north-north-east
- Lomøya — island7.8 km west-north-west
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Telemark will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Clarion Collection Hotel Brygge 3.3 km from the centre
- Clarion Collection Hotel Bryggeparken 3.7 km from the centre
- Thon Hoyers 3.8 km from the centre
- Thonh Hotel Hoyers 3.8 km from the centre
- Hotell Dag Bondeheim 4.0 km from the centre
- Hotel Ibsen 4.3 km from the centre
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — confirm before booking
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Telemark 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 Telemark
All 2 places in Telemark with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Telemark forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Telemark
Can you see the aurora borealis from Telemark?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Telemark had about 21.5 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 Telemark?
Kp 5. Telemark sits at geomagnetic latitude 59.1°, 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 Telemark?
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 Telemark never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Telemark?
The centre of Telemark reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 23 km west-north-west around Nome. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Telemark with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 829 km west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 21.5 in Telemark.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Telemark.
- 🇳🇴 Sandefjord - Norway34 km
- 🇳🇴 Tønsberg - Norway45 km
- 🇳🇴 Kongsberg - Norway55 km
- 🇳🇴 Horten - Norway55 km
- 🇳🇴 Moss - Norway65 km
- 🇳🇴 Drammen - Norway71 km
- 🇳🇴 Fredrikstad - Norway74 km
- 🇳🇴 Sarpsborg - Norway85 km