Tonight
Jul 9 - Jul 10
- 20 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 17 °C
34 percent cloud cover - 16 °C
10 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 9 PM and 3 AM in Edinburgh tonight. Cloud cover around that time looks mostly cloudy at 10% to 100%. Low activity and cloud cover together may make the aurora difficult to spot.
Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
Today at 7:00 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 |
|---|---|
| No activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity |
3-Night Weather Forecast for Edinburgh
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Tomorrow night
Jul 10 - Jul 11
- 14 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 14 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 14 °C
100 percent cloud cover
Saturday night
Jul 11 - Jul 12
- 15 °C
98 percent cloud cover - 14 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 14 °C100 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Current Moon
Waning Crescent
30% illumination
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Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Edinburgh
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday, July 9, 2026. Today. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 32% illumination | Friday, July 10, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waning crescent, 21% illumination | Saturday, July 11, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 12% illumination | Sunday, July 12, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 6% illumination | |||
Monday, July 13, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 1% illumination | Tuesday, July 14, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination | Wednesday, July 15, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 2% illumination | Thursday, July 16, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 6% illumination | Friday, July 17, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 13% illumination | Saturday, July 18, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 21% illumination | Sunday, July 19, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 31% illumination |
Monday, July 20, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 41% illumination | Tuesday, July 21, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 51% illumination | Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. First quarter, 60% illumination | Thursday, July 23, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 69% illumination | Friday, July 24, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 78% illumination | Saturday, July 25, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 85% illumination | Sunday, July 26, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 91% illumination |
Monday, July 27, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 96% illumination | Tuesday, July 28, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 99% illumination | Wednesday, July 29, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination | Thursday, July 30, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 99% illumination | Friday, July 31, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 97% illumination | Saturday, August 1, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 92% illumination | Sunday, August 2, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 85% illumination |
Monday, August 3, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 77% illumination | Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Last quarter, 67% illumination | Wednesday, August 5, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 57% 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 2.6 to 3.8. 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.