Aurora Borealis in Västerås
Sweden · 59.62°, 16.55° · geomagnetic 58.5° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Västerås
36%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Västerås 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 Västerås
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 36%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Västerås 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 Västerås
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Västerås
21.2 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 Västerås 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 | 7.7 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 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 Västerås horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Västerås reads Bortle 8. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 19 km north-east → Bortle 5
- 43 km north — around Sala 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 Västerås. 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 Västerås 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, 859 km north in Norway.
| Västerås | Bodø | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 21.2 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 58.5° | 66.0° |
Confirmed reports from this area
81 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Västerås 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 Västerås
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 Västerås.
- Badelundaåsen — ridge3.6 km east
- Kävstaåsen — hill6.1 km north-west
- Åkestaåsen — hill8.4 km north-north-west
- Mungasjön — lake15.0 km north
- Harsjön — lake17.0 km west-north-west
- Västraholmen — island3.7 km south
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Västerås will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Good Morning Västerås 2.6 km from the centre
- Aaros Metro Hotell 0.5 km from the centre
- Hotell Arkad 0.5 km from the centre
- Best Western Hotel Esplanade 0.5 km from the centre
- First Hotel Plaza 0.6 km from the centre
- Best Western Ta Inn Hotel 0.6 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 Västerås 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
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Västerås forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Västerås
Can you see the aurora borealis from Västerås?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Västerås had about 21.2 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 Västerås?
Kp 5. Västerås sits at geomagnetic latitude 58.5°, 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 Västerås?
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 Västerås never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Västerås?
The centre of Västerås reads Bortle 8. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 43 km north around Sala kommun. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Västerås with reliable aurora borealis?
Bodø, Norway — 859 km north. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 21.2 in Västerås.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Västerås.