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Southern Lights in Argentina: Where and When to See Them

From Argentina the aurora is mostly a camera sight: in severe storms (about Kp 7.3 or more) a red glow rises low over the horizon, as it did in May and October 2024.

Can you see the southern lights in Argentina tonight?

Not tonight: activity is too low for Argentina. The forecast peaks at Kp 3.3, but you need about Kp 7.3 near Ushuaia. A storm can build within a day, so check again tomorrow.

You also need a clear sky and real darkness: each town's page shows its cloud forecast and best hour tonight.

Where the aurora is visible tonight 3-day Kp forecast

Kp forecast: NOAA SWPC, checked every 10 minutes.

Featured destinations

Kp 9+

Ushuaia

Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Province

Where the aurora is easiest to see

Place	Region	Kp needed	Kp for photos	Magnetic latitude
Río Gallegos	Santa Cruz Province	9+	7.3	38.8°
Ushuaia	Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Province	9+	7.3	41.8°
Río Grande	Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Province	9+	7.3	40.9°
Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires F.D.	9+	9+	26.0°
Córdoba	Córdoba Province	9+	9+	21.5°

Largest cities

Place	Population	Kp needed
Buenos Aires	2,891,082	9+
Córdoba	2,106,734	9+
Río Gallegos	95,796	9+
Ushuaia	56,825	9+
Río Grande	52,681	9+

Storm watch: can you see the northern lights from Argentina?

Rarely, but yes. In strong storms (about Kp 7.3 or more) the red upper layer of the aurora rises above the southern horizon of Argentina. Phone and camera sensors pick it up far more easily than the eye.

…

Place	Kp for photos	Kp for the eye	Photo nights since 1995	Last time
Río Gallegos	7.3	9+	54	Jan 2026
Ushuaia	7.3	9+	51	Nov 2025
Río Grande	7.3	9+	51	Nov 2025

When it was last seen from Argentina

Nights with enough activity for photos from Río Gallegos during darkness (Kp 7.3 or more):

19 January 2026 · Kp 7.3
12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
31 May 2025 · Kp 7.7
10 October 2024 · Kp 8.3
16 September 2024 · Kp 7.3
11 May 2024 · Kp 7.7
10 May 2024 · Kp 9.0
23 April 2023 · Kp 8.0
23 March 2023 · Kp 8.0

How to catch it from Argentina

Watch the forecast: you need about Kp 7.3 or more — a strong to severe storm. These arrive a day or two after a big eruption on the Sun, so there is usually some warning.
Get away from city lights and find an open view to the south: a coast, a hill or a field. The glow sits low over the horizon.
Use your phone's night mode or a camera on a tripod (3–15 s). Check the photo: a red or pink sky to the south is the aurora.
The best hours are usually 22:00–02:00 local time, but in big storms it can start right after dusk.

Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) camera in Río Gallegos Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Kp 9 Extreme storm (G5) Seen across Europe and the US; in photos as far south as the Mediterranean, Turkey and North Africa (May 2024).

Live sightings

Where visitors are reporting the aurora right now. A place climbs with every report and drops again as the reports age.

Live webcams in Argentina

Check the sky for yourself with these public cameras. They open on the camera owner's website.

Ushuaia (opens in a new tab) Scenic by SkylineWebcams

These cameras belong to their owners — we only link to them. Most show little in daylight or under cloud, and some pause in summer.

Regions of Argentina

Buenos Aires F.D.Kp for photos 9+ · 1
Córdoba ProvinceKp for photos 9+ · 1
Santa Cruz ProvinceKp for photos 7.3 · 1
Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands ProvinceKp for photos 7.3 · 2

Practical information for Argentina

Emergency number: 911 (national emergencies); 107 medical (varies by locality); 100 fire; 103 Defensa Civil
Access to land: Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (APN) has daytime entry hours (April-September 9:00-18:00); free camping is permitted only in designated areas with an APN camping permit, so night viewing inside the park means staying at an authorised campsite.
Winter driving: On RN 3 in Tierra del Fuego, winter road reports based on Vialidad Nacional data require chains for heavy vehicles and winter tyres for light vehicles, and the Ushuaia-Tolhuin section (Paso Garibaldi) can close in heavy snow. Check Vialidad Nacional's road status before travelling. Road conditions
Drones: ANAC Resolution 550/2025 (RAAC Parts 100-102, replacing Res. 880/19) deregulated drones: no licence is needed up to 25 kg and drones under 250 g are free for recreational use; see https://www.argentina.gob.ar/anac
Weather service: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN)

LAMP (Laboratorio Argentino de Meteorología del esPacio, IAFE-UBA/CONICET with the Instituto Antártico Argentino) is a full ISES member and Argentina's designated space weather Regional Warning Centre.

Compiled from official government, road-authority and weather-service sources. Rules change; check them before you travel.

Questions and answers

Can you see the southern lights in Argentina?