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Northern Lights in France: Where and When to See Them

From France the aurora is seen only during severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 7.7 or more), a few nights per solar cycle.

Where the aurora is easiest to see

PlaceRegionKp neededKp for photosMagnetic latitude
DunkirkHauts-de-France7.7647.1°
CalaisHauts-de-France7.7647.0°
Coudekerque-BrancheHauts-de-France7.7647.0°
LilleHauts-de-France86.346.6°
RoubaixHauts-de-France86.346.6°
TourcoingHauts-de-France86.346.7°
Villeneuve-d'AscqHauts-de-France86.346.5°
ArrasHauts-de-France86.346.2°

Largest cities

PlacePopulationKp needed
Paris2,138,5519
Marseille877,2159+
Lyon520,7749+
Toulouse511,6849+
Nice342,6699+
Nantes325,0709+
Marne La Vallée318,3259
Strasbourg274,8459

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

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 France. Phone and camera sensors pick it up far more easily than the eye.

…

PlaceKp for photosKp for the eyePhoto nights since 1995Last time
Brest 4 9+ 1,014 Oct 2026
Chartres 4 9+ 1,008 Oct 2026
Alençon 4 9+ 1,013 Oct 2026
Rennes 4.3 9+ 1,012 Oct 2026
Le Mans 4.3 9+ 1,013 Oct 2026
Orléans 4.3 9+ 1,011 Oct 2026
Colmar 4.3 9+ 1,016 Oct 2026
Quimper 4.3 9+ 1,015 Oct 2026
Troyes 4.3 9+ 1,013 Oct 2026
Lorient 4.3 9+ 1,014 Oct 2026
Laval 4.3 9+ 1,012 Oct 2026
Auxerre 4.3 9+ 1,013 Oct 2026

When it was last seen from France

Nights with enough activity for photos from Brest 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
  • 3 July 2026 · Kp 5.3
  • 5 June 2026 · Kp 5.0
  • 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
  • 4 May 2026 · Kp 4.7
  • 30 April 2026 · Kp 4.7
  • 20 April 2026 · Kp 4.7
  • 18 April 2026 · Kp 4.7

How to catch it from France

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. The best hours are usually 22:00–02:00 local time, but in big storms it can start right after dusk.
  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
  3. Kp 4 Active camera in Brest Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
  6. Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.

  1. …

    Regions of France