Leinster, IrelandMagnetic latitude 50.3°Population 22,86939 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Athlone?
From Athlone the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6 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) was reached during darkness here on 231 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:48.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 6 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (2% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:48 to 06:46.
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 No · Kp 4
- 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 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 41% 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 17:16 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 6), average cloud 2%.
- Dark enough
- 19:48 – 06:46
- Sunset
- 18:33 · sunrise 08:02
- Moon
- 32% · ↑ 14:55 · ↓ 21:06
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 4.3 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (354°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Athlone
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 | -2° | 2° | 1,357 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,134 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 2° | 8° | 912 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 13° | 689 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 10° | 21° | 467 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 22° | 38° | 245 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 78° | 83° | 22 km |
| 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 Athlone 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) eye in Athlone 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
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 5 km to the north-north-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 Athlone
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
November has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by October (1%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0.5% | 48% | 8.5 h | 9° / 17°C |
| October | 0.8% | 41% | 10.8 h | 7° / 14°C |
| November | 1% | 41% | 12.5 h | 5° / 10°C |
| December | 0.5% | 30% | 13.4 h | 3° / 8°C |
| January | 0% | 26% | 12.9 h | 2° / 7°C |
| February | 0.2% | 31% | 11.4 h | 3° / 8°C |
| March | 0.5% | 40% | 9.5 h | 3° / 10°C |
| April | 0.5% | 48% | 7.0 h | 4° / 12°C |
Aurora nights in Athlone since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 10 December 2025 · Kp 6.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC) · 79 km
- Typical low / high in November
- 5° / 10°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112 / 999
- Winter driving
- Irish law does not require winter tyres (legal minimum tread 1.6 mm; Gardaí recommend at least 3 mm in winter); check TII Traffic Info for national road conditions. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Ireland has no general right to roam: off public roads and rights of way, access to private (and state) land is at the landowner's discretion and can be withdrawn, though permissive access is common on waymarked trails and schemes like the Mountain Access Scheme.
- Weather service
- Met Éireann
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Athlone?
From Athlone the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6 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 Athlone?
Face north (about 354° from true north). At Kp 6 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 10° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Athlone?
Over 2005–2025, November gave the best odds in Athlone (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (1%).
When is the aurora season in Athlone?
Athlone 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 Athlone?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-west.
When was the aurora last possible in Athlone?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Athlone needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 231 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Athlone share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Bellaugh 2 km
- Doyles Bridge 3 km
- Kilnamanagh 3 km
- Crannagh 4 km
- Carrickynaghtan 4 km
- Creggan 4 km
- Bellanamullia 5 km
- Ballykeeran 5 km
- Keelty 5 km
- Mount Florence 5 km
- Fardrum 5 km
- Bealin 6 km
- Ballynakill 6 km
- Ballybay 6 km
- Newtown 6 km
- Hodson Bay 6 km
- Kiltoom 7 km
- Glassan 7 km
- Curraghaleen 7 km
- Cornafulla 7 km
- Bernard’s Cross Roads 7 km
- Mounthussey 7 km
- Cloonown 7 km
- Tullymagawly 7 km
- Kilaarvan Bridge 7 km
- Baylin 7 km
- Belrea 8 km
- Callowbeg 8 km
- Killogeenaghan 8 km
- Drumlosh 9 km
- Inchinalee 9 km
- Ballynahown 10 km
- Duggarry 10 km
- Pike 10 km
- Clonaderg 10 km
- Bolmarra 10 km
- Brideswell 11 km
- Derrylahan 11 km
- Derrmeel 11 km
- Mannion’s Cross Roads 11 km