Idaho, United StatesMagnetic latitude 53.8°Population 1,510768 m above sea level
Northern lights in Osburn
Osburn needs an active night: from about Kp 4.7 the aurora appears low over the north-north-east horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows. Since 1995 that level (Kp 4.7) was reached during darkness here on 909 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 18:51.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Only in photos, if at all
- Solar activity Enough for a camera: Kp 3.7 expected, 3 needed for photos, 4.7 for the eye.
- Sky Mostly clear (24% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 18:51 to 06:05. A bright moon (77%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Point a phone in night mode north-north-east (3–10 s exposure). A red or green glow often shows on the screen before you can see it.
Friday 30 October — Good chance · Kp 5 · best around 23:30 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 47% of nights are clear here. · Reliability: low (rough trend)
Each box is one night: the colour shows the chance, the number the expected Kp. Tap a night for details.
📅 Add these nights to your calendar — it updates itself (.ics)
How far ahead can the northern lights be forecast?
- Minutes to an hour: satellites 1.5 million km away measure the solar wind before it reaches Earth. This is the surest warning — the “Right now” box uses it.
- 1–3 days: when the Sun throws out a cloud of particles, it takes one to three days to arrive. NOAA's 3-hourly forecast covers these nights; the timing can still be off by a few hours.
- 4–27 days: the Sun turns once every 27 days, and regions that disturbed Earth's field last time often do it again. NOAA's 27-day outlook gives this rough trend — new eruptions are not in it yet.
Tonight
Updated 07:47 local time
Possible
Best around 22:00. Forecast max Kp 3.7 (this place needs 4.7), average cloud 24%.
- Dark enough
- 18:51 – 06:05
- Sunset
- 17:44 · sunrise 07:13
- Moon
- 77% · ↑ 15:50 · ↓ 01:50
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 4.7 (Kp 4.3 with an open horizon)
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 3 (a red glow low in the north-north-east).
- Look towards
- north-north-east (14°)
Cloud layers and weather
Low cloud blocks the aurora completely. Thin high cloud often still lets a bright aurora shine through, so a sky with only high cloud is worth a look.
| Time | Wed, 19 | Wed, 22 | Thu, 01 | Thu, 04 | Thu, 19 | Thu, 22 | Fri, 01 | Fri, 04 | Fri, 19 | Fri, 22 | Sat, 01 | Sat, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 39% | 91% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 1% | 0% | 11% | 36% | 58% | 94% | 100% | 87% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 10% |
| High cloud | 70% | 11% | 0% | 8% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 49% | 8% | 0% | 10% |
| Temperature | 14 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 10 °C | 6 °C | 2 °C | 0 °C | -1 °C |
| Feels like | 14 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 7 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 10 °C | 5 °C | 0 °C | -2 °C | -3 °C |
| Wind | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Weather in Osburn
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Osburn: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Osburn on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Osburn
Facing north-north-east. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | 2° | 7° | 967 km |
| 3 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 11° | 745 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 9° | 18° | 523 km |
| 5 | Visible to the north-north-east | 18° | 32° | 300 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north-north-east | 53° | 68° | 78 km |
| 7 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
The Kp scale in plain words
Kp is a 0–9 score for how strongly the Earth's magnetic field is being shaken by the solar wind. The higher it goes, the further from the poles the northern lights reach. Kp 0–2 is a quiet night; Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm.
- Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled camera in Osburn Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active next 24 h Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Osburn Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) 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) 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).
Light pollution
Rural to suburban. Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east-south-east. Open in OpenStreetMap
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
The terrain rises to about 11° above the horizon towards the north-north-east. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 4.7 instead of Kp 4.3. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the north-north-east helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Osburn
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (5% of nights), followed by August (4%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 5% | 66% | 9.1 h | 7° / 21°C |
| October | 3% | 47% | 10.9 h | 1° / 12°C |
| November | 1% | 25% | 12.1 h | -4° / 3°C |
| December | 0.8% | 24% | 12.9 h | -9° / -2°C |
| January | 0.5% | 29% | 12.5 h | -10° / -2°C |
| February | 3% | 38% | 11.4 h | -9° / -1°C |
| March | 2% | 36% | 9.9 h | -5° / 3°C |
| April | 4% | 45% | 7.8 h | -1° / 9°C |
Aurora nights in Osburn since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 1 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Spokane International Airport (GEG) · 116 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 7° / 21°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 911
- Winter driving
- Tyre and chain rules are set at state level; check Alaska 511 (511.alaska.gov, Alaska DOT&PF) for Alaska roads, or the relevant state's 511 service elsewhere. Road conditions
- Access to land
- There is no general right to roam; trespass law is set by each state, so stay on public land (national parks, national forests, BLM land) or get the landowner's permission, and follow each park's night-time and parking rules.
- Official space-weather service
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (aurora dashboard)
- Weather service
- National Weather Service (NOAA)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Osburn?
Osburn needs an active night: from about Kp 4.7 the aurora appears low over the north-north-east horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Osburn?
Face north-north-east (about 14° from true north). At Kp 4.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 18° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Osburn?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Osburn (5% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by August (4%).
When is the aurora season in Osburn?
Osburn gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Osburn?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east-south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Osburn?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Osburn needs, during darkness, was 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0). It has happened on 909 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Osburn share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Silverton 4 km
- Nuckols 5 km
- Wallace 6 km
- Blackcloud 7 km
- McCarthy 7 km
- Bunn 8 km
- Ferguson 8 km
- Webb 8 km
- Woodland Park 8 km
- Carbon Center 9 km
- Gentry 9 km
- Gem 10 km
- Golconda 10 km
- Black Bear 11 km
- Frisco 11 km
- Stull 11 km
- Cornwall 12 km
- Delta 12 km
- Mace 13 km
- Burke 14 km
- Thiard 14 km
- Mullan 15 km
- Eagle 16 km
- Murray 17 km
- Prichard 17 km
- Larson 19 km
- Shoshone County 19 km
- Sohon 23 km
- Bogle 26 km
- Pearson 26 km
- Borax 26 km
- Herrick 27 km
- Tammany 27 km
- Erlmo 28 km
- Marble Creek 28 km
- Ethelton 29 km
- Hoyt 29 km
- Pocono 29 km
- Roland 29 km
- Stetson 30 km