G2Peak 8 May 2003 at 18:00 UTC

Northern Lights on 8 May 2003 (Kp 5.7): Where They Were Visible

Kp reached 5.7. At that level the edge of the auroral oval reaches about 55.2° magnetic latitude, so the aurora could be seen low on the horizon down to roughly 50.7°. Activity stayed at storm level (Kp 5 or more) for 9 hours.

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

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

Based on each place's Kp threshold (terrain included) and the Sun's position during each 3-hour Kp block.
Country	Places	Examples	Furthest from the pole
Sweden	107	Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala, Linköping	Gislaved
Finland	101	Helsinki, Espoon keskus, Tampere urban area, Vantaa	Raseborg
Norway	59	Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger	Mandal
Estonia	21	Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärnu	Võru
Latvia	18	Daugavpils, Ventspils, Rēzekne, Valmiera	Daugavpils
United Kingdom	17	Aberdeen, Inverness, Elgin, Peterhead	Fort William
Lithuania	11	Kaunas, Panevėžys, Jonava, Utena	Kaunas
Australia	7	Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie	Burnie
New Zealand	7	Dunedin, Invercargill, Mosgiel, Gore	Oamaru
Denmark	3	Hjørring, Frederikshavn, Brønderslev	Brønderslev
Kazakhstan	1	Petropavl	Petropavl

Only in photos

777 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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