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Northern Lights in New Mexico, United States

In New Mexico the aurora is visible from about Kp 8.7, first near Raton. Clayton has the darkest skies among the larger places.

Next chance in New Mexico

None of the next 20 nights looks active enough here: you need about Kp 8.7 by eye or Kp 7 for photos. Big storms usually show up 1–3 days ahead — this page updates by itself.

PlaceKp neededKp for photosLook towardsLight pollutionPopulation
Raton 8.7 7 N Bright suburban sky 6,187
Clayton 8.7 7 N Suburban sky 2,774
Farmington 9 7.3 N Bright suburban sky 42,871
Aztec 9 7.3 N Suburban sky 6,147
Taos 9 7.3 N Bright suburban sky 5,740
Albuquerque 9+ 4.7 N City sky 564,559
Las Cruces 9+ 6 N City sky 101,643
Rio Rancho 9+ 4.3 N Bright suburban sky 87,521
Enchanted Hills 9+ 4.3 N Suburban sky 87,521
Santa Fe 9+ 4.3 N Bright suburban sky 87,505
Roswell 9+ 5.3 N City sky 48,544
South Valley 9+ 4.7 N Suburban sky 40,976
Clovis 9+ 4.7 N City sky 39,480
Hobbs 9+ 5.3 N City sky 38,416
Alamogordo 9+ 5.7 N Bright suburban sky 30,753
Carlsbad 9+ 5.7 N City sky 28,957
Gallup 9+ 4.3 NNE City sky 23,240
Los Lunas 9+ 4.7 N Bright suburban sky 15,336
Deming 9+ 6 N Bright suburban sky 14,522
Las Vegas 9+ 4.3 N Bright suburban sky 13,386
Los Alamos 9+ 4 N Bright suburban sky 12,019
Portales 9+ 4.7 N Bright suburban sky 11,995
Lovington 9+ 5.3 N City sky 11,800
Silver City 9+ 6 N Bright suburban sky 10,004
Grants 9+ 4.7 N Bright suburban sky 9,239
Bernalillo 9+ 4.3 N Bright suburban sky 8,843
Socorro 9+ 5 N Bright suburban sky 8,722
Truth or Consequences 9+ 5.7 N Suburban sky 6,079
Tucumcari 9+ 4.3 N Bright suburban sky 5,025
Santa Rosa 9+ 4.3 N Suburban sky 2,675
Lordsburg 9+ 6 N Bright suburban sky 2,531

Best months in New Mexico

Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.

Activity of Kp 8.7 or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.

0%10% July: 0% Jul August: 0% Aug September: 0% Sept October: 0% Oct November: 0% Nov December: 0% Dec January: 0% Jan February: 0% Feb March: 0% Mar April: 0% Apr May: 0% May June: 0% Jun
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
  3. Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
  6. Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) camera in Raton Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
  7. Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) eye in Raton Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
  8. 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).

The town pages in this region also cover 918 villages and districts nearby.

Smaller places