Corse

Northern lights in Ajaccio tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Ajaccio (Corse) - latitude 41.92° N, estimated Kp threshold 9.

Kp index

4.3

unsettled

Hemispheric power

North21GW

South22GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com

Tonight in Ajaccio

Very unlikely

Based on Kp 4.3 and Ajaccio's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Ajaccio

Ajaccio, at 41.9° N, is the southernmost city covered here. Auroras are extremely rare: a Kp close to 9 is required for the aurora to reach Corsica. The May 2024 storm still produced a diffuse pink hue reported from Cap Corse high points, well beyond statistical expectation. The Ajaccio gulf offers an open horizon to the west and north-west.

Observation conditions in Ajaccio

Ajaccio is rated Bortle 5. The Corsican mountains, easily accessible from Ajaccio, deliver Bortle 2-3 skies at altitude: Col de Vergio, Cuscione plateau, Monte Renoso. Corsica is broadly free of light pollution, particularly the centre of the island. The Mediterranean climate offers many clear nights, and the mistral and libeccio winds clear the atmosphere quickly.

Recent auroras from Ajaccio

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): diffuse pink hue reported from Cap Corse and a few images taken from the central ridge. Aurora very faint, close to the theoretical visibility limit. No aurora reported from Corsica in recent memory otherwise.

What Ajaccio asks of the sky

Geomagnetic latitude

42.6°

40 of 40

Kp index required

Kp 9

0 / 12 months

Dark nights per year

365

365 / 365

Ajaccio ranks 40 of the 40 cities we track, at 42.6° geomagnetic. Toulon sits 1.7° higher .

The threshold to clear here is Kp 9. It was not reached once in the last twelve months; since 1994 our archive holds only 4 such nights.

Ajaccio keeps full astronomical night all 365 nights of the year, which every city north of the Loire loses for part of the summer.

How to read the Kp index →

Local conditions

Light pollution

Bortle 6 of 9

SQM 19.23 mag/arcsec²

Nearest darker sky

Les Cannes

2 km · Bortle 2

Kp forecast, next 3 days

Source: app.pulsar-si.com. For an aurora to be visible from Ajaccio, Kp must exceed 9.

Wed 19 Aug

1.1

Expected max Kp

Thu 20 Aug

1.5

Expected max Kp

Fri 21 Aug

1.7

Expected max Kp

Frequently asked questions

Can you see the northern lights from Ajaccio?

Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 9 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Ajaccio (latitude 41.9° N). Major geomagnetic storms (Kp 8-9) that reach this latitude happen only a handful of times per 11-year solar cycle.

What Kp index is needed to see auroras from Ajaccio?

The approximate Kp threshold for Ajaccio is 9. Below that, auroras stay confined to high latitudes (Norway, Scotland). Above it, they gradually extend southward. A Kp of 10 gives a fair chance, 11 a strong one.

When is the best time to watch from Ajaccio?

Auroras are a nighttime phenomenon, best observed between roughly 10 PM and 2 AM local time, when the geomagnetic pole is tilted towards the Earth's night side. In practice, peaks depend on when a coronal mass ejection arrives - activity can spike at any hour.

Where around Ajaccio offers better conditions?

Move at least 40-60 km north of Ajaccio to escape urban light pollution and gain 1-2 magnitudes of limiting magnitude.

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