Ireland40 places

Northern Lights in Connacht, Ireland

In Connacht the aurora is visible from about Kp 5.3, first near Sligo. Sligo has the darkest skies among the larger places.

Next chance in Connacht

Photos only · Sligo · Reliability: medium

Place	Kp needed	Kp for photos	Look towards	Light pollution	Population
Sligo	5.3	3.7	N	Suburban sky	20,608
Castlebar	5.7	4	N	City sky	13,054
Ballina	5.7	4	N	Bright suburban sky	10,556
Galway	6	4.3	N	Suburban sky	85,910

Best months in Connacht

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

May has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by February (1%).

All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum

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 camera in Sligo Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Sligo 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).

The town pages in this region also cover 562 villages and districts nearby.