Belgium376 places
Northern Lights in Belgium: Where and When to See Them
From Belgium the aurora is seen only during severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 7.3 or more), a few nights per solar cycle.
Where the aurora is easiest to see
| Place | Region | Kp needed | Kp for photos | Magnetic latitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnhout | Flanders | 7.3 | 5.7 | 47.4° |
| Knokke-Heist | Flanders | 7.3 | 5.7 | 47.4° |
| Kapellen | Flanders | 7.3 | 5.7 | 47.4° |
| Brussels | Brussels-Capital Region | 7.7 | 6 | 46.8° |
| Antwerp | Flanders | 7.7 | 6 | 47.2° |
| Ghent | Flanders | 7.7 | 6 | 47.1° |
| Anderlecht | Brussels-Capital Region | 7.7 | 6 | 46.8° |
| Schaerbeek | Brussels-Capital Region | 7.7 | 6 | 46.8° |
Largest cities
| Place | Population | Kp needed |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 1,019,022 | 7.7 |
| Antwerp | 529,247 | 7.7 |
| Ghent | 265,086 | 7.7 |
| Charleroi | 200,132 | 8 |
| Liège | 195,278 | 8 |
| Anderlecht | 160,553 | 7.7 |
| Schaerbeek | 132,761 | 7.7 |
| Bruges | 118,509 | 7.7 |
Storm watch: can you see the northern lights from Belgium?
Rarely, but yes. In strong storms (about Kp 5.7 or more) the red upper layer of the aurora, 300–400 km up, rises above the northern horizon of Belgium. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnhout | 5.7 | 7.3 | 334 | Oct 2026 |
| Knokke-Heist | 5.7 | 7.3 | 333 | Oct 2026 |
| Kapellen | 5.7 | 7.3 | 332 | Oct 2026 |
| Brussels | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
| Antwerp | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
| Ghent | 6 | 7.7 | 231 | Oct 2026 |
| Anderlecht | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
| Schaerbeek | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
| Bruges | 6 | 7.7 | 231 | Oct 2026 |
| Leuven | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
| Molenbeek-Saint-Jean | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
| Ixelles | 6 | 7.7 | 230 | Oct 2026 |
When it was last seen from Belgium
Nights with enough activity for photos from Turnhout during darkness (Kp 5.7 or more):
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 3 April 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 16 February 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
How to catch it from Belgium
- Watch the forecast: you need about Kp 5.7 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 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) camera in Turnhout Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
- Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) eye in Turnhout 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 Belgium
- FlandersKp 7.3+ · 65
- WalloniaKp 8+ · 21
- Brussels-Capital RegionKp 7.7+ · 16