Southern Denmark, DenmarkMagnetic latitude 51.5°Population 16,4013 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Tønder?
From Tønder the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 5.3) was reached during darkness here on 480 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 1.0).
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 5.3 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (82% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:41 to 06:39.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 No · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- Sun 18 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 No · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Unlikely · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Unlikely · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 Unlikely · 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 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 No · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 No · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 No · Kp 3
Friday 30 October — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 23:30 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 40% of nights are clear here. · Reliability: low (rough trend)
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 20:16 local time
Unlikely
Best around 20:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 5.3), average cloud 82%.
- Dark enough
- 19:41 – 06:39
- Sunset
- 18:23 · sunrise 07:57
- Moon
- 32% · ↑ 14:59 · ↓ 20:42
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 5.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 3.7 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (358°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Tønder
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 | -1° | 4° | 1,223 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 1° | 7° | 1,001 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 11° | 778 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 8° | 17° | 556 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 16° | 29° | 334 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 43° | 60° | 111 km |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
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 camera in Tønder Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Tønder 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).
Light pollution
Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-west. Open in OpenStreetMap
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
The horizon towards the north is open (terrain below 0.1°), so low aurora is not blocked.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Tønder
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (3% of nights), followed by March (2%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 3% | 58% | 8.4 h | 13° / 18°C |
| October | 1% | 40% | 10.8 h | 9° / 13°C |
| November | 0.8% | 37% | 12.6 h | 6° / 9°C |
| December | 0% | 25% | 13.6 h | 3° / 5°C |
| January | 0.5% | 28% | 13.1 h | 1° / 4°C |
| February | 0.8% | 28% | 11.4 h | 1° / 4°C |
| March | 2% | 50% | 9.5 h | 2° / 6°C |
| April | 0.8% | 63% | 6.6 h | 5° / 10°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 5 June to 8 July — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Tønder since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 5.3 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 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
- 22 February 2026 · Kp 5.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Westerland Sylt Airport (GWT) · 34 km
Billund Airport (BLL) · 92 km - Typical low / high in September
- 13° / 18°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112
- Winter driving
- There is no general winter tyre requirement, but since 1 July 2025 the Traffic Act requires tyres suited to current and expected road conditions, with fines of DKK 1,000 per tyre. Studded tyres are allowed from 1 November to 15 April. Road conditions are on the Danish Road Directorate's Trafikinfo. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Public forests are open 24 hours a day, but private forests and private uncultivated land may only be used on foot or by bike on suitable roads and paths from 6:00 until sunset, and you must stay more than 150 m from buildings. Beaches are open for walking and short stays, with no tents, and you must keep 50 m from dwellings on private beaches.
- Weather service
- DMI (Danish Meteorological Institute)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Tønder?
From Tønder the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Tønder?
Face north (about 358° from true north). At Kp 5.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 16° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Tønder?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Tønder (3% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (2%).
When is the aurora season in Tønder?
From 5 June to 8 July the sky in Tønder never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Tønder?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-west.
When was the aurora last possible in Tønder?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Tønder needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 480 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Tønder share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Ubjerg 2 km
- Tved 2 km
- Dryhus 2 km
- Sæd 3 km
- Rørkær 3 km
- Toft 4 km
- Lille Emmerske 4 km
- Gallehus 4 km
- Toghale 5 km
- Store Emmerske 5 km
- Møgeltønder 5 km
- Abild 5 km
- Vennemose 6 km
- Stokkebro 6 km
- Jejsing 6 km
- Bønderby 6 km
- Travsted 7 km
- Østerby 7 km
- Hostrup 7 km
- Rudbøl 8 km
- Kongsbjerg 8 km
- Høgslund 8 km
- Tyvse 9 km
- Lydersholm 9 km
- Adelvad 9 km
- Solderup 10 km
- Stemmild 11 km
- Nolde 11 km
- Bøgvad 11 km
- Vester Højst 12 km
- Søvang 12 km
- Lund 12 km
- Saksborg 13 km
- Øster Højst 13 km
- Kværnholt 13 km
- Burkal 13 km
- Sottrup 14 km
- Holme 14 km
- Bylderup-Bov 14 km
- Rens 15 km