AuroraMeteo
EN

South Africa32 places

Southern Lights in South Africa: Where and When to See Them

From South Africa the aurora is mostly a camera sight: in severe storms (about Kp 4.7 or more) a red glow rises low over the horizon, as it did in May and October 2024.

Where the aurora is easiest to see

PlaceRegionKp neededKp for photosMagnetic latitude
Cape TownWestern Cape9+542.4°
GqeberhaEastern Cape9+542.4°

Storm watch: can you see the northern lights from South Africa?

Rarely, but yes. In strong storms (about Kp 5 or more) the red upper layer of the aurora rises above the southern horizon of South Africa. Phone and camera sensors pick it up far more easily than the eye.

…

PlaceKp for photosKp for the eyePhoto nights since 1995Last time
Cape Town 5 9+ 756 Oct 2026
Gqeberha 5 9+ 759 Oct 2026

When it was last seen from South Africa

Nights with enough activity for photos from Cape Town during darkness (Kp 5 or more):

  • 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
  • 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
  • 18 August 2026 · Kp 5.3
  • 8 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
  • 23 July 2026 · Kp 5.0
  • 4 July 2026 · Kp 5.3
  • 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
  • 24 June 2026 · Kp 5.0
  • 5 June 2026 · Kp 6.0
  • 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0

How to catch it from South Africa

  1. Watch the forecast: you need about Kp 5 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.
  2. Get away from city lights and find an open view to the south: a coast, a hill or a field. The glow sits low over the horizon.
  3. 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 south is the aurora.
  4. The best hours are usually 22:00–02:00 local time, but in big storms it can start right after dusk.
  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 Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) camera in Cape Town Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) 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).

Live sightings

Where visitors are reporting the aurora right now. A place climbs with every report and drops again as the reports age.

  1. …

    Regions of South Africa