AuroraMeteo

Schleswig-Holstein, GermanyMagnetic latitude 50.0°Population 1,95861 m above sea level

Can you see the northern lights in Siek?

From Siek the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6.3) was reached during darkness here on 160 nights.

Right now

Quiet right now (Kp 1.7).

Kp 1.7 · 467 km/s · Bz 3.5

Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 1.3.

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 4 expected, 6.3 needed here.
  • Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
  • Darkness Dark from 19:36 to 06:33.

What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.

Tonight

Updated 01:12 local time

0/100

Unlikely

Best around 01:00. Forecast max Kp 4.0 (this place needs 6.3), average cloud 100%.

Dark enough
19:36 – 06:33
Sunset
18:17 · sunrise 07:51
Moon
34% · ↑ 15:20 · ↓ 20:48
Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
Kp 6.3
Kp for photos
In photos: from Kp 4.7 (a red glow low in the north).
Look towards
north (0°)
Sat 17 Oct0Kp 2.0 · cloud 99%
Sun 18 Oct0Kp 1.7 · cloud 53%
061218Sun 18061218Mon 19061218Tue 20
Chance (0–100) Dark enough Cloud cover

Cloud layers and weather

High cloud Mid cloud Low cloud 061218Sun 18061218Mon 19061218Tue 20
Low cloudMid cloudHigh cloud Dark enough

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.

Dark hours
TimeSat, 01Sat, 04Sat, 19Sat, 22Sun, 01Sun, 04Sun, 19Sun, 22Mon, 01Mon, 04Mon, 19Mon, 22
Low cloud96%82%100%83%100%100%69%70%70%76%58%22%
Mid cloud100%100%74%100%100%80%27%13%4%0%0%0%
High cloud0%0%0%0%0%0%14%0%87%100%99%19%
Temperature12 °C11 °C9 °C9 °C9 °C8 °C10 °C10 °C10 °C10 °C9 °C7 °C
Feels like10 °C9 °C8 °C8 °C6 °C5 °C9 °C8 °C8 °C8 °C7 °C3 °C
Wind4 m/s3 m/s2 m/s3 m/s4 m/s4 m/s1 m/s3 m/s4 m/s4 m/s3 m/s4 m/s
Visibility14 km15 km20 km13 km21 km21 km22 km18 km6.8 km3.2 km31 km23 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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Preview

What you would see from Siek

Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.

10°20°30°45° Kp 8.3 · overheadKp 6.3 · 12°–23° WNW 300° NW 315° NNW 330° NNW 345° N 0° NNE 15° NNE 30° NE 45° ENE 60°
Computed from the auroral oval position for each Kp level (lower border ~105 km, ray tops ~200 km up). Horizon from elevation data out to 30 km.
KpWhat you seeLower edgeRay topsDistance to the aurora
2 Below the horizon -2° 2° 1,390 km
3 Below the horizon 0° 4° 1,168 km
4 Below the horizon 2° 7° 945 km
5 Faint glow, mostly on camera 5° 12° 723 km
6 Faint glow, mostly on camera 10° 19° 500 km
7 Visible to the north 19° 34° 278 km
8 Visible to the north 62° 74° 56 km
9 Overhead and all around – – –
Angles above the horizon. Terrain in the look direction is taken into account where modelled.

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.

  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 next 24 h Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) camera in Siek Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) eye in Siek 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).

Light pollution

Rural to suburban. Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.

A noticeably darker area starts about 15 km to the east-north-east. 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 0.0°), 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 Siek

Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.

Activity of Kp 6.3 or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.

0%10% July: 0% Jul August: 0% Aug September: 0% Sept October: 1% Oct November: 0% Nov December: 0% Dec January: 0% Jan February: 0% Feb March: 0% Mar April: 0% Apr May: 0% May June: 0% Jun
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
MonthGood nightsClear nightsDarknessLow / high
September 0.3% 50% 8.5 h 11° / 19°C
October 0.5% 35% 10.8 h 7° / 14°C
November 0% 23% 12.5 h 3° / 8°C
December 0% 14% 13.4 h 1° / 4°C
January 0% 14% 12.9 h -1° / 3°C
February 0% 18% 11.4 h -1° / 4°C
March 0% 36% 9.5 h 1° / 8°C
April 0.3% 57% 7.0 h 4° / 13°C
Good night = darkness + activity at this place's Kp level + night-time satellite cloud ≤ 70%. GFZ Kp, NASA POWER (CERES), 1° grid. Methodology

Aurora nights in Siek since 1995

Nights when Kp reached 6.3 or more while it was dark here.

2012: 71272013: 11312014: 11412015: 51552016: 31632017: 51752021: 12112022: 12212023: 52352024: 1124112025: 1325132026: 5265
Per year, last 12 years. Cloud cover not included. Source: GFZ Kp.

Most recent strong nights

Practical information

Nearest airport
Hamburg Helmut Schmidt Airport (HAM) · 20 km
Typical low / high in October
7° / 14°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
Germany has a situational winter tyre rule (§ 2 Abs. 3a StVO): in black ice, snow, slush or frost only tyres with the Alpine (3PMSF) symbol are allowed — M+S-only tyres no longer qualify since 1 Oct 2024; there is no fixed calendar period. Motorway traffic info: Autobahn GmbH (autobahn.de). Road conditions
Access to land
Under § 59 BNatSchG everyone may enter open countryside on roads, paths and unused land for recreation (forests under the federal/state forest acts); state laws usually exclude parking vehicles and camping from this right, and nature reserves/national parks may restrict access or path use.
Weather service
Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)

Questions and answers

What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Siek?

From Siek the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.3 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 Siek?

Face north (about 0° from true north). At Kp 6.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 19° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.

When is the aurora season in Siek?

Siek 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 Siek?

Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 15 km to the east-north-east.

When was the aurora last possible in Siek?

The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Siek needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 160 nights since 1995.

Also covered by this forecast

Villages and districts around Siek share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.