AuroraMeteo

G1Peak 20 June 1989 at 18:00 UTC

Northern Lights on 20 June 1989 (Kp 5.3): Where They Were Visible

Kp reached 5.3. At that level the edge of the auroral oval reaches about 55.8° magnetic latitude, so the aurora could be seen low on the horizon down to roughly 51.3°. Activity stayed at storm level (Kp 5 or more) for 6 hours.

03579 G1 G3 Mon 19 Jun 12:00 UTC · Kp 2.00 Mon 19 Jun 15:00 UTC · Kp 1.33 Mon 19 Jun 18:00 UTC · Kp 2.67 Mon 19 Jun 21:00 UTC · Kp 3.33 Tue 20 Jun 00:00 UTC · Kp 2.67 Tue 20 Jun 03:00 UTC · Kp 3.00 Tue 20 Jun 06:00 UTC · Kp 3.00 Tue 20 Jun 09:00 UTC · Kp 4.33 Tue 20 Jun 12:00 UTC · Kp 5.00 Tue 20 Jun 15:00 UTC · Kp 4.00 Tue 20 Jun 18:00 UTC · Kp 5.33 Tue 20 Jun 21:00 UTC · Kp 3.33 Wed 21 Jun 00:00 UTC · Kp 1.33 Wed 21 Jun 03:00 UTC · Kp 1.00 Wed 21 Jun 06:00 UTC · Kp 1.67 Wed 21 Jun 09:00 UTC · Kp 1.00 Wed 21 Jun 12:00 UTC · Kp 1.33 Wed 21 Jun 15:00 UTC · Kp 0.67 Wed 21 Jun 18:00 UTC · Kp 0.67 Tue 20 JunWed 21 Jun
Kp 0–3 Kp 4 Kp 5–6 (G1–G2) Kp 7+ (G3+) Times in UTC; faded bars are forecasts.

Three-hourly Kp from GFZ, one day either side of the storm.

Where the aurora could be seen

17 towns on our list had enough activity while it was dark there. Cloud cover is not included.

CountryPlacesExamplesFurthest from the pole
New Zealand 9 Dunedin, Invercargill, Mosgiel, Wānaka Wānaka
Australia 7 Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie Burnie
Kazakhstan 1 Petropavl Petropavl
Based on each place's Kp threshold (terrain included) and the Sun's position during each 3-hour Kp block.

Only in photos

190 more towns could have caught a faint red or green glow low on the horizon with a phone or camera.

Whether the aurora was actually seen also depended on the weather. Use this as a guide to where it was possible.

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