Pennsylvania, United StatesMagnetic latitude 49.3°Population 32,118365 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Bethel Park?
From Bethel Park the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6.7) was reached during darkness here on 108 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 2.7).
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3.3 expected, 6.7 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (0% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:29 to 06:40. A bright moon (84%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Saturday 31 October — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 58%. · 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 06:50 local time
Unlikely
Best around 06:00. Forecast max Kp 3.3 (this place needs 6.7), average cloud 0%.
- Dark enough
- 19:29 – 06:40
- Sunset
- 18:29 · sunrise 07:39
- Moon
- 84% · ↑ 16:37 · ↓ 03:38
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 5 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (352°)
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 | Thu, 06 | Thu, 21 | Fri, 00 | Fri, 03 | Fri, 06 | Fri, 21 | Sat, 00 | Sat, 03 | Sat, 06 | Sat, 21 | Sun, 00 | Sun, 03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 58% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 4 °C | 9 °C | 7 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 4 °C | 9 °C | 7 °C | 5 °C |
| Feels like | 4 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C | 3 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C | 3 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C |
| Wind | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 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 Bethel Park
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Bethel Park: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Bethel Park on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Bethel Park
Facing north. 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 | -3° | 1° | 1,468 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -1° | 3° | 1,245 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 1° | 6° | 1,023 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 10° | 801 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 8° | 16° | 578 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 15° | 27° | 356 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 37° | 55° | 133 km |
| 9 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
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 next 24 h 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) camera in Bethel Park 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) eye in Bethel Park 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
Bright suburban sky. Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
Terrain is not modelled for this place.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Bethel Park
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by October (1%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 1% | 70% | 9.6 h | 13° / 26°C |
| October | 0.9% | 55% | 10.9 h | 7° / 19°C |
| November | 0.5% | 47% | 12.0 h | 0° / 11°C |
| December | 0.2% | 27% | 12.4 h | -3° / 5°C |
| January | 0.3% | 34% | 12.3 h | -6° / 2°C |
| February | 0.2% | 39% | 11.0 h | -5° / 4°C |
| March | 0% | 50% | 9.9 h | -1° / 10°C |
| April | 0.2% | 48% | 8.5 h | 4° / 17°C |
Aurora nights in Bethel Park since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 5 November 2025 · Kp 6.7
- 1 October 2025 · Kp 6.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) · 25 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 13° / 26°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 Bethel Park?
From Bethel Park the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Bethel Park?
Face north (about 352° from true north). At Kp 6.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 15° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Bethel Park?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Bethel Park (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (1%).
When is the aurora season in Bethel Park?
Bethel Park 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 Bethel Park?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
When was the aurora last possible in Bethel Park?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Bethel Park needs, during darkness, was 3 July 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 108 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Bethel Park share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Coverdale 0 km
- Brookside 1 km
- Walther 1 km
- Boyer 2 km
- Brightwood 2 km
- Ruthfred Acres 2 km
- Jewell 3 km
- Salida 3 km
- West Library 4 km
- Bryn Mawr 5 km
- Edgebrook 5 km
- Library Junction 5 km
- Turkeyfoot 6 km
- Lawrence 7 km
- McMurray 7 km
- Township of Peters 7 km
- Thompsonville 7 km
- Bower Hill 8 km
- Hackett 9 km
- Venetia 9 km
- Donaldsons Crossroads 10 km
- Hendersonville 10 km
- Van Emman 10 km
- Cool Valley 11 km
- Froman 11 km
- Munntown 11 km
- Thomas 11 km
- Morganza 12 km
- Murry Hill 12 km
- Township of Nottingham 13 km
- Courtney 14 km
- Crookham 14 km
- Ginger Hill 15 km
- Borough of New Eagle 15 km
- River View 15 km
- Baidland 16 km
- Kammerer 16 km
- Frye 18 km
- Hazel Kirk 18 km
- Township of Carroll 19 km