Aurora Borealis in Whickham

United Kingdom · 54.95°, -1.68° · geomagnetic 56.9° · needs Kp 7

Tonight's aurora forecast for Whickham

24%

Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Whickham 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.

Tonight Tue 08 Sep
24%
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Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC

Local aurora guide for Whickham

Whickham is at 56.9° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude during periods of high geomagnetic activity, specifically when the Kp index reaches 7.

On average, there are about 2.6 nights per year when conditions are suitable for aurora viewing. These opportunities are spread across the period from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.

The best months for aurora viewing in Whickham are September, August, and November. These months offer a good balance of darkness and potential aurora activity.

However, during May, June, and July, there is not enough full darkness to observe the aurora, regardless of solar activity.

Whickham experiences a Bortle 7 sky, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with Bortle 4 conditions are located 36 km north-north-east near Tyne and Wear, and Bortle 5 conditions are 28 km east-north-east near Tyne and Wear.

Notable features around Whickham include Castle Leazes park to the north-east, Westerhope Hill Heads hill to the north-north-west, Nuns Moor park to the north-north-east, Ryton Island to the north-west, and Saint Anthony’s Point headland to the east-north-east.

Castle Leazes is a park located 5.7 km north-east of Whickham.

Westerhope Hill Heads is a hill situated 6.0 km north-north-west of Whickham.

Nuns Moor is a park found 6.3 km north-north-east of Whickham. Ryton Island is an island 7.0 km north-west of Whickham, and Saint Anthony’s Point is a headland 8.4 km east-north-east of Whickham.

There have been 227 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Whickham between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.

Notable recent qualifying nights, based on Kp index, include 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 Whickham 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 Whickham.