Kazakhstan49 places
Northern Lights in Kazakhstan: Where and When to See Them
In Kazakhstan the aurora appears only during geomagnetic storms, low on the horizon. The best chances are near Petropavl, from about Kp 5.3. Near Petropavl, September has historically been the best month (2% of nights).
Storm watch: can you see the northern lights from Kazakhstan?
Rarely, but yes. In strong storms (about Kp 3.7 or more) the red upper layer of the aurora, 300–400 km up, rises above the northern horizon of Kazakhstan. Phone and camera sensors pick it up far more easily than the eye.
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| Place | Kp for photos | Kp for the eye | Photo nights since 1995 | Last time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petropavl | 3.7 | 5.3 | 950 | Oct 2026 |
| Kostanay | 4.3 | 6 | 971 | Oct 2026 |
| Kokshetau | 4.3 | 6 | 962 | Oct 2026 |
| Astana | 5.3 | 7 | 474 | Oct 2026 |
When it was last seen from Kazakhstan
Nights with enough activity for photos from Petropavl during darkness (Kp 4.7 or more):
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 4.7
- 18 August 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 8 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 23 July 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 4 July 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 30 June 2026 · Kp 4.7
- 11 June 2026 · Kp 4.7
- 5 June 2026 · Kp 4.7
How to catch it from Kazakhstan
- Watch the forecast: you need about Kp 3.7 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The best hours are usually 22:00–02:00 local time, but in big storms it can start right after dusk.
- 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 Petropavl Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Petropavl 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).
Live sightings
Where visitors are reporting the aurora right now. A place climbs with every report and drops again as the reports age.
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Latest reports
Regions of Kazakhstan
- Astana QalasyKp 7+ · 1
- Kostanay RegionKp 5.3+ · 1
- North Kazakhstan RegionKp 5.3+ · 1
- Akmola RegionKp 6+ · 1