Munster, IrelandMagnetic latitude 48.5°Population 18,62127 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Ballincollig?
From Ballincollig the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 7) was reached during darkness here on 73 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:47.
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 0.3.
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 2.3 expected, 7 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (2% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:47 to 06:52.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Monday 19 October — No · Kp 2.3 · Forecast cloud: 2%. · Reliability: good
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 13:43 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 2.3 (this place needs 7), average cloud 2%.
- Dark enough
- 19:47 – 06:52
- Sunset
- 18:34 · sunrise 08:05
- Moon
- 49% · ↑ 15:53 · ↓ 23:37
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 5.3 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (354°)
Cloud layers and weather
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.
| Time | Sun, 19 | Sun, 22 | Mon, 01 | Mon, 04 | Mon, 19 | Mon, 22 | Tue, 01 | Tue, 04 | Tue, 19 | Tue, 22 | Wed, 01 | Wed, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 3% | 5% | 0% | 18% | 30% | 44% | 41% | 40% | 50% | 58% | 59% |
| Mid cloud | 4% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 85% | 79% | 67% | 89% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 6 °C | 5 °C | 4 °C | 3 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 9 °C | 9 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C |
| Feels like | 6 °C | 5 °C | 4 °C | 2 °C | 7 °C | 6 °C | 6 °C | 6 °C | 8 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C | 5 °C |
| Wind | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 6 m/s |
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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What you would see from Ballincollig
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 | -3° | 0° | 1,557 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -2° | 2° | 1,334 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,112 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | 3° | 8° | 890 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 6° | 13° | 667 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 11° | 22° | 445 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 24° | 41° | 222 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 next 24 h 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 Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) camera in Ballincollig 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) eye in Ballincollig 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.
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
Terrain is not modelled for this place.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Ballincollig
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
October has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by May (0%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0.2% | 45% | 8.8 h | 10° / 16°C |
| October | 0.6% | 46% | 10.8 h | 8° / 14°C |
| November | 0.3% | 45% | 12.5 h | 6° / 10°C |
| December | 0% | 36% | 13.1 h | 4° / 8°C |
| January | 0% | 36% | 12.8 h | 3° / 8°C |
| February | 0% | 35% | 11.4 h | 3° / 8°C |
| March | 0% | 44% | 9.5 h | 3° / 9°C |
| April | 0.2% | 50% | 7.3 h | 5° / 12°C |
Aurora nights in Ballincollig since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 29 September 2025 · Kp 7.0
- 10 October 2024 · Kp 8.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Cork International Airport (ORK) · 8 km
- Typical low / high in October
- 8° / 14°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 Ballincollig?
From Ballincollig the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 7 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 Ballincollig?
Face north (about 354° from true north). At Kp 7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 11° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Ballincollig?
Over 2005–2025, October gave the best odds in Ballincollig (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by May (0%).
When is the aurora season in Ballincollig?
Ballincollig 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 Ballincollig?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
When was the aurora last possible in Ballincollig?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Ballincollig needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 73 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Ballincollig share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- West Village 1 km
- Curraheen 2 km
- Ballynora 2 km
- Ballinora 2 km
- Carrigrohane 2 km
- Waterfall 3 km
- Inishcarra 3 km
- Kilnaglory 3 km
- Bishopstown 3 km
- Sraleigh 4 km
- Tower 5 km
- Killumney 5 km
- Grange Hill 5 km
- Knockburden 5 km
- Coolflugh 5 km
- Model Village 5 km
- Saint Anns Hill 6 km
- Ovens 6 km
- Cloghroe 6 km
- Knockanemore 6 km
- Vicarstown Cross Roads 7 km
- Killeen 7 km
- Ballineadig 9 km
- Farranavarra 9 km
- Kilcrea 10 km
- Cross Barry 10 km
- Berrings 10 km
- Dromgownagh 10 km
- Aherla 11 km
- Farran 11 km
- Rathard 11 km
- Knocknahilan 12 km
- Dripsey 12 km
- Fergus 12 km
- Inchisine 30 km
- Ardnacrushy 30 km
- Boylegrove 30 km
- Garrane 31 km
- Dromleigh 31 km
- Kilmichael 31 km