Inner Mongolia, ChinaMagnetic latitude 35.5°Population 574,2421,439 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Dongsheng District?
From Dongsheng District the aurora is too low for the naked eye except in the most extreme storms, but in severe storms (about Kp 8.3 or more) cameras record a red glow low in the north. Strong enough for photos on 20 nights since 1995 — most recently on 19 January 2026.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 0.3).
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 3.
Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: GFZ Potsdam Hp30 index (CC BY 4.0).
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 8.3 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 18:56 to 05:54.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 No · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 2 No · Kp 2
- Sun 18 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 21 3 No · Kp 3
- Thu 22 4 No · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 No · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 No · Kp 3
- Sun 25 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 30 2 No · Kp 2
- Sat 31 5 No · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 No · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 No · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 No · Kp 3
Saturday 17 October — No · Kp 2.7 · Forecast cloud: 100%. · Reliability: good
Each box is one night: the colour shows the chance, the number the expected Kp. Tap a night for details.
📅 Add these nights to your calendar — it updates itself (.ics)
How far ahead can the northern lights be forecast?
- Minutes to an hour: satellites 1.5 million km away measure the solar wind before it reaches Earth. This is the surest warning — the “Right now” box uses it.
- 1–3 days: when the Sun throws out a cloud of particles, it takes one to three days to arrive. NOAA's 3-hourly forecast covers these nights; the timing can still be off by a few hours.
- 4–27 days: the Sun turns once every 27 days, and regions that disturbed Earth's field last time often do it again. NOAA's 27-day outlook gives this rough trend — new eruptions are not in it yet.
Tonight
Updated 05:28 local time
Unlikely
Best around 05:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 9+), average cloud 100%.
- Dark enough
- 18:56 – 05:54
- Sunset
- 17:58 · sunrise 06:53
- Moon
- 34% · ↑ 13:14 · ↓ 22:12
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 9+
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 8.3 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (358°)
Cloud layers and weather
Low cloud blocks the aurora completely. Thin high cloud often still lets a bright aurora shine through, so a sky with only high cloud is worth a look.
| Time | Sat, 05 | Sat, 21 | Sun, 00 | Sun, 03 | Sun, 19 | Sun, 22 | Mon, 01 | Mon, 04 | Mon, 20 | Mon, 23 | Tue, 02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 98% | 92% |
| High cloud | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 23% | 92% | 0% |
| Temperature | 9 °C | 4 °C | 1 °C | -1 °C | 4 °C | 2 °C | 2 °C | 2 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C | 4 °C |
| Feels like | 8 °C | -2 °C | -6 °C | -7 °C | -1 °C | -3 °C | -3 °C | -3 °C | 1 °C | -1 °C | -1 °C |
| Wind | 3 m/s | 6 m/s | 7 m/s | 5 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 5 m/s | 4 m/s | 5 m/s | 4 m/s |
| Visibility | 2.1 km | 29 km | 29 km | 27 km | 30 km | 28 km | 26 km | 24 km | 28 km | 28 km | 28 km |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Dongsheng District
Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | -12° | -10° | 3,002 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -10° | -9° | 2,780 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -9° | -7° | 2,558 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | -8° | -6° | 2,335 km |
| 6 | Below the horizon | -7° | -4° | 2,113 km |
| 7 | Below the horizon | -5° | -3° | 1,890 km |
| 8 | Below the horizon | -4° | -1° | 1,668 km |
| 9 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | -2° | 1° | 1,446 km |
The Kp scale in plain words
Kp is a 0–9 score for how strongly the Earth's magnetic field is being shaken by the solar wind. The higher it goes, the further from the poles the northern lights reach. Kp 0–2 is a quiet night; Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm.
- Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h 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) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) camera in Dongsheng District 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).
Light pollution
City sky. City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area.
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
Terrain is not modelled for this place.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Dongsheng District
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 9+ or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0% | 70% | 9.6 h | 9° / 22°C |
| October | 0% | 84% | 10.9 h | 1° / 15°C |
| November | 0% | 86% | 12.0 h | -6° / 5°C |
| December | 0% | 90% | 12.4 h | -14° / -3°C |
| January | 0% | 85% | 12.1 h | -16° / -4°C |
| February | 0% | 78% | 11.0 h | -12° / 0°C |
| March | 0% | 83% | 9.9 h | -5° / 9°C |
| April | 0% | 76% | 8.5 h | 1° / 17°C |
Nights when Dongsheng District could catch it in photos
Since 1995, nights with Kp 8.3 or more while it was dark here — a red or green glow low on the horizon.
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 10 October 2024 · Kp 8.3
- 11 May 2024 · Kp 8.7
- 10 May 2024 · Kp 8.7
- 24 March 2024 · Kp 8.3
- 23 April 2023 · Kp 8.3
- 8 September 2017 · Kp 8.3
- 22 June 2015 · Kp 8.3
- 8 May 2005 · Kp 8.3
- 10 November 2004 · Kp 8.3
- 9 November 2004 · Kp 8.7
- 27 July 2004 · Kp 8.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport (DSN) · 37 km
- Typical low / high in January
- -16° / -4°C
- What to wear
- Arctic cold: wool base layers, insulated jacket and trousers, warm boots, hat and mittens. Full clothing guide
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Dongsheng District?
From Dongsheng District the aurora is too low for the naked eye except in the most extreme storms, but in severe storms (about Kp 8.3 or more) cameras record a red glow low in the north.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Dongsheng District?
Around Dongsheng District the aurora is often right overhead. Start by facing north, but look up and all around — in strong storms it can fill the whole sky and even appear behind you.
When is the aurora season in Dongsheng District?
Dongsheng District gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Dongsheng District?
City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Dongsheng District share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Dongsheng Qu 2 km
- Tianjiao 2 km
- Buriduliang 7 km
- Burd Liang 10 km
- Wanli 10 km
- Zhaoyoufang 11 km
- Talahao 13 km
- Hantaimiao 13 km
- Yuanjiahao 14 km
- Hantai 15 km
- Erzihao 19 km
- Ezihao 20 km
- Chaonaoliang 25 km
- Yindamen 25 km
- Zhunge’erzhao 28 km
- Obon Xil 29 km
- Aobaoliang 29 km
- Wulanhada 31 km
- Nalintaohai 34 km
- Narin Tal 35 km
- Yandian 35 km
- Zhangjiagetai 39 km