Austria471 places
Northern Lights in Austria: Where and When to See Them
From Austria the aurora is seen only during severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 9 or more), a few nights per solar cycle.
Where the aurora is easiest to see
Storm watch: can you see the northern lights from Austria?
Rarely, but yes. In strong storms (about Kp 4 or more) the red upper layer of the aurora, 300–400 km up, rises above the northern horizon of Austria. Phone and camera sensors pick it up far more easily than the eye.
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| Place | Kp for photos | Kp for the eye | Photo nights since 1995 | Last time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna | 4 | 9+ | 1,030 | Oct 2026 |
| Linz | 4 | 9+ | 1,028 | Oct 2026 |
| Tulln | 4 | 9+ | 1,027 | Oct 2026 |
| Salzburg | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,026 | Oct 2026 |
| Wiener Neustadt | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,031 | Oct 2026 |
| Steyr | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,030 | Oct 2026 |
| Baden | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,030 | Oct 2026 |
| Traun | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,029 | Oct 2026 |
| St. Pölten | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,027 | Oct 2026 |
| Wels | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,027 | Oct 2026 |
| Perchtoldsdorf | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,030 | Oct 2026 |
| Eisenstadt | 4.3 | 9+ | 1,030 | Oct 2026 |
When it was last seen from Austria
Nights with enough activity for photos from Vienna during darkness (Kp 4.7 or more):
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 4.7
- 18 August 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 8 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 5 June 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 4 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 30 April 2026 · Kp 4.7
How to catch it from Austria
- Watch the forecast: you need about Kp 4 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 north: 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 north 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 camera in Vienna 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) 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.
- …
Latest reports
Regions of Austria
- ViennaKp for photos 4 · 1
- Lower AustriaKp 9+ · 5
- StyriaKp for photos 4.3 · 1
- Upper AustriaKp 9+ · 4
- TyrolKp for photos 4.7 · 2
- VorarlbergKp for photos 4.7 · 4
- SalzburgKp for photos 4.3 · 1
- CarinthiaKp for photos 5 · 4
- BurgenlandKp for photos 4.3 · 2