Northern lights in Orkney Islands tonight
Northern Isles, Scotland · 59° magnetic latitude · Kp 3 threshold
Kp 1 is well below the Kp 3 threshold needed for aurora to be visible from Orkney Islands.
7-day outlook for Orkney Islands
Based on CME arrival predictions from NASA DONKI. Arrival times ±6 hours.
auroratonight.space
What Kp is needed here?
Orkney Islands sits at a magnetic latitude of approximately 59°N. The Kp index - a global measure of geomagnetic activity on a scale from 0 (quiet) to 9 (extreme storm), updated every 3 hours - needs to reach Kp 3 before the auroral oval expands far enough south to be visible from here.
At Kp 3, visibility is possible from Orkney Islands but skies need to be clear and dark. Cloud cover and light pollution remain the main obstacles even when Kp is high enough.
Best dark sky sites near Orkney Islands
Light pollution is the biggest obstacle after cloud cover. These sites give you the best dark northern horizon within reach.
Hoy island
Get directions ↗Orkney's most dramatic island. Sparse population, high moorland, and open sea on all sides. A short ferry from Houton gives access to some of the darkest skies in the UK.
Birsay Moor, west mainland
Get directions ↗Open peat moorland in the north-west of Orkney mainland. No settlement for miles in the northern direction. The coast at Birsay gives open Atlantic views.
Yesnaby sea stacks, west mainland
Get directions ↗Clifftop with dramatic sea views to the north and west. Accessible car park and short walk from the B9056. Properly dark after sunset.
Egilsay and outer islands
Get directions ↗The smaller outer islands of Orkney are notably dark. Reachable by ferry from Tingwall. Even Egilsay on the east side faces north over open Orkney Sound.
Best time to see the northern lights in Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands's aurora season runs from late September through to March, when nights are long enough for truly dark skies. The equinox months, September and March, bring a natural boost in geomagnetic activity, making them statistically the best of the season. Summer months bring too much twilight for aurora to be visible at this latitude.
Activity peaks around the September and March equinoxes, when Earth's magnetic field geometry is most favourable for coupling with the solar wind. Events during these two windows tend to produce the strongest displays of the year for observers at Orkney Islands's latitude.
April through August brings persistent astronomical twilight that washes out aurora completely. Even strong events (Kp 6+) remain invisible during this period because the sky never gets dark enough.
Other UK aurora forecasts
Up to 8 locations
How often does the aurora appear in Orkney Islands?
Average nights per month the Kp reached Orkney Islands's threshold of 3+, from 15 years of geomagnetic data (2010–2024).
Counts the Kp 3+ threshold only - cloud cover and local darkness are not included.
Kp data: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, CC BY 4.0
Plan your trip to Orkney Islands
Best window
The September to November window averages 36 aurora nights - the strongest consecutive stretch of the year.
How long to stay
For your best chance in March, plan at least 3 nights.
Related pages
Northern Lights UK
Live aurora forecast hub for all UK regions.
Read →Scotland Aurora Hub
Scotland-wide aurora forecast.
Read →Northern Lights Shetland Tonight
Shetland is even further north - Kp 2-3 threshold.
Read →Best Time to See Northern Lights UK
Which months and conditions are most favourable.
Read →What Is the Kp Index?
How the geomagnetic scale works and what Kp 3 means.
Read →Aurora photographs from Orkney Islands
Real photos sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
Aurora over Orkney Islands 
Aurora over Orkney Islands 
Aurora over Orkney Islands 
Aurora over Orkney Islands 
Aurora over Orkney Islands 
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