Tonight
May 21 - May 22
- 14 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 13 °C
86 percent cloud cover - 13 °C
98 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 11:52 PM to 2:25 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 95%.
Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
Today at 10:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:100%
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
May 22 - May 23
- 14 °C98 percent cloud cover
- 13 °C71 percent cloud cover
- 13 °C56 percent cloud cover
Saturday night
May 23 - May 24
- 14 °C94 percent cloud cover
- 12 °C91 percent cloud cover
- 12 °C57 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 11:52 PM to 02:25 AM (2 h 33 min)
Current Moon
First Quarter
32% illumination
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Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday, May 21, 2026. Today. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 29% illumination | Friday, May 22, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 40% illumination | Saturday, May 23, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Sunday, May 24, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 61% illumination | |||
Monday, May 25, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 71% illumination | Tuesday, May 26, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 79% illumination | Wednesday, May 27, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 87% illumination | Thursday, May 28, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 93% illumination | Friday, May 29, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 97% illumination | Saturday, May 30, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 99% illumination | Sunday, May 31, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination |
Monday, June 1, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 99% illumination | Tuesday, June 2, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 96% illumination | Wednesday, June 3, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 91% illumination | Thursday, June 4, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 85% illumination | Friday, June 5, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 78% illumination | Saturday, June 6, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 69% illumination | Sunday, June 7, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 60% illumination |
Monday, June 8, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 49% illumination | Tuesday, June 9, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 39% illumination | Wednesday, June 10, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 28% illumination | Thursday, June 11, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Waning crescent, 19% illumination | Friday, June 12, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waning crescent, 10% illumination | Saturday, June 13, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 4% illumination | Sunday, June 14, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 1% illumination |
Monday, June 15, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination | Tuesday, June 16, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 3% illumination | Wednesday, June 17, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 8% 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 around 2.7. That is below the usual Kp index threshold for Edinburgh, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.