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Northern Lights in Ukraine: Where and When to See Them
In Ukraine the aurora appears only during geomagnetic storms, low on the horizon. The best chances are near Kyiv, from about Kp 7.7.
Can you see the northern lights in Ukraine tonight?
Not tonight: activity is too low for Ukraine. The forecast peaks at Kp 2.7, but you need about Kp 7.7 near Kyiv. A storm can build within a day, so check again tomorrow.
You also need a clear sky and real darkness: each town's page shows its cloud forecast and best hour tonight.
Where the aurora is visible tonight 3-day Kp forecast
Kp forecast: NOAA SWPC, checked every 10 minutes.
Storm watch: can you see the northern lights from Ukraine?
Rarely, but yes. In strong storms (about Kp 6 or more) the red upper layer of the aurora, 300–400 km up, rises above the northern horizon of Ukraine. Phone and camera sensors pick it up far more easily than the eye.
…
| Place | Kp for photos | Kp for the eye | Photo nights since 1995 | Last time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyiv | 6 | 7.7 | 225 | Oct 2026 |
| Kharkiv | 6.3 | 8 | 164 | Oct 2026 |
| Odesa | 7.3 | 9+ | 54 | Oct 2026 |
When it was last seen from Ukraine
Nights with enough activity for photos from Kyiv during darkness (Kp 6 or more):
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 4 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 10 December 2025 · Kp 6.0
- 3 December 2025 · Kp 6.7
How to catch it from Ukraine
- Watch the forecast: you need about Kp 6 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 Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) camera in Kyiv 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) eye in Kyiv 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.
- …
Latest reports
Regions of Ukraine
- Kyiv CityKp 7.7+ · 1
- Kharkiv OblastKp 8+ · 1
- Odesa OblastKp for photos 7.3 · 1
Questions and answers
Can you see the northern lights in Ukraine?
In Ukraine the aurora appears only during geomagnetic storms, low on the horizon. The best chances are near Kyiv, from about Kp 7.7.
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Ukraine?
About Kp 7.7: Kyiv, the largest city, is also one of the easiest places in Ukraine to see it.
When was the aurora last visible in Ukraine?
The most recent night in our data with enough activity for Kyiv during darkness was 20 January 2026 (Kp 7.7). That has happened on 33 nights since 1995.