G2Peak 21 May 2023 at 18:00 UTC

Northern Lights on 21 May 2023 (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

2,017 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
United Kingdom	418	Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle upon Tyne	Middlesbrough
Canada	375	Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Quebec City	Le Sud-Ouest
Sweden	367	Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala	Trelleborg
Denmark	255	Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg	Nakskov
Finland	177	Helsinki, Espoon keskus, Vantaa, Turku	Hanko
Norway	114	Oslo, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Drammen	Mandal
United States	87	Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot	Presque Isle
Latvia	76	Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava	Daugavpils
Estonia	65	Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärnu	Võru
Lithuania	54	Kaunas, Klaipeda City Municipality, Šiauliai, Panevėžys	Garliava
Australia	20	Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie	Smithton
Ireland	6	Letterkenny, Sligo, Buncrana, Ballybofey	Sligo
Germany	2	Westerland, Glücksburg	Glücksburg
Kazakhstan	1	Petropavl	Petropavl

Only in photos

3,462 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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