Northern lights tonight: can you see the aurora where you are?
·Live data check: October 13, 2026, 12:39 UTC. Source: NOAA planetary K-index. This block is rewritten every morning.
As of this morning's check, Kp was 3 (quiet). The forecast peak for the next 24 hours is Kp 4.7, which puts a realistic chance of aurora over far northern states and southern Canada under a dark sky. The dashboard shows NOAA's live value through the day.
Most nights, whether the aurora is out for you comes down to a single number called the Kp index, and how far north you sit. Get the live Kp, compare it to your latitude, and you have your answer before you waste a drive into the cold. Lumara shows that number straight from NOAA, so you can check it in five seconds from the couch.
Are the northern lights out right now?
Kp runs from 0 to 9 and measures how disturbed Earth's magnetic field is right now. Quiet nights sit at 1 or 2. When a burst of solar wind or a coronal mass ejection hits, Kp climbs, and the higher it goes the farther from the poles the aurora slides. Lumara reads the current Kp from NOAA's planetary K-index and shows it on the dashboard next to NASA's list of recent flares and eruptions, the events that drive a storm in the first place.
What Kp do you need at your latitude?
This is the rough map between the number and where the lights reach. Your mileage shifts with your exact location and how dark your sky is, but it is close enough to make a go or no-go call.
| Kp | Storm level | Roughly visible from |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Quiet | Near the poles only: northern Scandinavia, Alaska, northern Canada |
| 4 | Active | Far northern states and southern Canada on a dark night |
| 5 | G1 minor storm | Northern tier of US states, much of the UK and northern Europe |
| 6 to 7 | G2 to G3 | Down toward the central US and central Europe |
| 8 to 9 | G4 to G5 | Mid latitudes, and on rare nights much farther south |
Which direction do you look, and what time?
A high Kp gets you a chance, not a guarantee. Four things turn the chance into a sighting. Direction: from the mid latitudes look north, low on the horizon; only inside the auroral oval, over northern Scandinavia, Alaska, or northern Canada, does it pass overhead or to the south. Darkness: get well away from city glow. Timing: the hours around local midnight tend to be the most active. And the Moon: a bright moon drowns out a faint display, so check tonight's moon phase and aim for nights closer to new moon when the storm is weak. Cloud cover beats all of it, so glance at a normal weather forecast too.
Is 2026 still a good year for aurora?
Yes. The Sun runs on an eleven-year cycle, and NOAA's 13-month smoothed sunspot number for Cycle 25 peaked near 161 in October 2024 and had fallen to about 100 by February 2026, so the cycle is past its maximum and in its early declining phase. That does not mean quiet skies. Declining years have historically produced some of the strongest geomagnetic storms on record, driven by recurrent high-speed solar wind streams and CMEs from aging active regions, so 2026 and 2027 both remain strong aurora years. Solar Cycle 26 is not expected to begin in earnest before roughly 2029. None of that predicts a specific night, which is why the live Kp above is the number that matters. For the background on flares, CMEs, and how a storm builds, see the space weather guide.
Open the live space weather dashboard
Common questions.
Can I see the northern lights tonight?
It depends on the Kp index right now and how far north you live. Check the live Kp in Lumara. As a rough guide, Kp 5 brings aurora to the northern tier of US states, Kp 7 and up can push it toward the middle of the country, and near the poles even Kp 3 or 4 can be enough.
What Kp index do I need to see the aurora?
The farther from the magnetic poles you are, the higher the Kp you need. Kp 5 is a G1 storm and reaches the northern US and northern Europe. Kp 7 reaches the mid latitudes, and Kp 8 to 9 is a severe storm that can push it farther south still. Your own latitude sets the bar.
What time of night is best for aurora?
The hours around local midnight, give or take a couple, tend to be most active. You also need a dark sky away from city lights, a clear northern horizon, and ideally no bright moon.
Does the Moon affect aurora viewing?
Yes. A bright or full moon washes out faint aurora the same way it washes out faint stars. On a strong storm it barely matters, but for a weak display, a dark sky near the new moon helps a lot.