Tonight
Aug 26 - Aug 27
- 16 °C
70 percent cloud cover - 14 °C56 percent cloud cover
- 13 °C39 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:
Aurora activity is expected to be low between 7 PM and 9 PM in Edinburgh tomorrow night. Sky will be dark from 9:54 PM to 4:35 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 100%. Low activity and cloud cover together may make the aurora difficult to spot.
Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
Tomorrow at 1:00 AM
Low Activity
Cloud Cover:38%
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 |
|---|---|
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Moderate Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity |
3-Night Weather Forecast for Edinburgh
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Tomorrow night
Aug 27 - Aug 28
- 16 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 15 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 15 °C100 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Aug 28 - Aug 29
- 16 °C34 percent cloud cover
- 15 °C
29 percent cloud cover - 14 °C93 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 09:54 PM to 04:35 AM (6 h 41 min)
Current Moon
Full Moon
98% illumination
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Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Today. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 97% illumination | Thursday, August 27, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination | Friday, August 28, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination | Saturday, August 29, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Full moon, 98% illumination | Sunday, August 30, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 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 | Saturday, September 12, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 2% illumination | Sunday, September 13, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 6% illumination |
Monday, September 14, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 12% illumination | Tuesday, September 15, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 20% illumination | Wednesday, September 16, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 28% illumination | Thursday, September 17, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 37% illumination | Friday, September 18, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 47% illumination | Saturday, September 19, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 56% illumination | Sunday, September 20, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 65% illumination |
Monday, September 21, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 74% illumination | Tuesday, September 22, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 82% illumination |
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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 3.3 to 3.7. 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.