Tonight
Aug 15 - Aug 16
- 15 °C
9 percent cloud cover - 13 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 12 °C
100 percent cloud cover
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Northern Lights Forecast for Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
55°57′11.9″N ⋅ 3°11′17.9″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
No significant aurora activity is expected in Edinburgh over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 10:30 PM to 4:04 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 100%.
Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
Today at 7:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:67%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Edinburgh
| Local time | Aurora activity |
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| No activity | |
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Edinburgh
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Tomorrow night
Aug 16 - Aug 17
- 14 °C
99 percent cloud cover - 13 °C75 percent cloud cover
- 13 °C100 percent cloud cover
Monday night
Aug 17 - Aug 18
- 15 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 15 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 15 °C91 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 10:30 PM to 04:04 AM (5 h 34 min)
Current Moon
Waxing Crescent
10% illumination
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Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, August 15, 2026. Today. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 10% illumination | Sunday, August 16, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 17% illumination | |||||
Monday, August 17, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 25% illumination | Tuesday, August 18, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 35% illumination | Wednesday, August 19, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 44% illumination | Thursday, August 20, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 54% illumination | Friday, August 21, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 63% illumination | Saturday, August 22, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 72% illumination | Sunday, August 23, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 80% illumination |
Monday, August 24, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 87% illumination | Tuesday, August 25, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 93% illumination | Wednesday, August 26, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 97% illumination | Thursday, August 27, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination | Friday, August 28, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination | Saturday, August 29, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 98% illumination | Sunday, August 30, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 94% illumination |
Monday, August 31, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 88% illumination | Tuesday, September 1, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 80% illumination | Wednesday, September 2, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 70% illumination | Thursday, September 3, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 60% illumination | Friday, September 4, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 48% illumination | Saturday, September 5, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 37% illumination | Sunday, September 6, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 26% illumination |
Monday, September 7, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 17% illumination | Tuesday, September 8, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 9% illumination | Wednesday, September 9, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 3% illumination | Thursday, September 10, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 1% illumination | Friday, September 11, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination |
LowAurora ActivityHigh
Northern Lights in Edinburgh
Found in Scotland, Edinburgh offers unique opportunities for aurora hunters visiting United Kingdom. Because it sits at 56.0°, seeing the aurora borealis here requires a fairly strong geomagnetic storm. Keep a close eye on space weather forecasts and be ready to travel to darker skies if a severe storm hits.
When to Visit Edinburgh
Because you need absolute darkness to see the lights this far south, limit your aurora hunting in Edinburgh to the late autumn and winter months. Summer nights here simply are not dark enough.
FAQ
What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights in Edinburgh?
In Edinburgh, you usually need at least Kp 4 to have a reasonable chance of seeing the northern lights. Lower Kp can still bring a faint aurora display low on the northern horizon, but it is less common.
This is based on magnetic latitude, and Kp index is a global geomagnetic index, so treat it as a rule of thumb, not a location-specific guarantee.
Tonight, the NOAA Kp index forecast is 2 to 3.0. That is a bit below the usual Kp index threshold for Edinburgh, so there is still a small chance of seeing faint aurora low on the northern horizon.