Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Northern lights in Limoges tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Limoges (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) - latitude 45.83° N, estimated Kp threshold 8.

Kp index

4.3

unsettled

Hemispheric power

North21GW

South22GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com

Tonight in Limoges

Very unlikely

Based on Kp 4.3 and Limoges's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Limoges

Limoges, at 45.8° N in the Limousin, benefits from moderate light pollution and a very rural environment. Auroras become visible from Kp 7. The nearby Millevaches plateau is an International Dark Sky Reserve - one of the darkest in Western Europe, classed Bortle 2-3 in its most remote areas.

Observation conditions in Limoges

Bortle 6 over Limoges. The Millevaches plateau (Bortle 2-3, 60 km east) is among the best skies in Europe, an International Dark Sky Reserve. Rural Corrèze and Creuse offer remarkable conditions over wide areas. The altitude (~700 m) adds atmospheric transparency, especially in autumn and winter.

Recent auroras from Limoges

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): red and green aurora from the Millevaches plateau, photos awarded in astrophotography contests. 24 March 2024 (Kp 8): confirmed observations in Corrèze. 5 November 2023 (Kp 7): aurora reported from the plateau.

What Limoges asks of the sky

Geomagnetic latitude

47.6°

26 of 40

Kp index required

Kp 8

2 / 12 months

Dark nights per year

365

365 / 365

Limoges ranks 26 of the 40 cities we track, at 47.6° geomagnetic. Besançon sits 0.6° higher , Clermont-Ferrand follows at 47.3°.

The threshold to clear here is Kp 8. Twelve months of archive hold 2 nights, the most recent on 19 January 2026, and 48 since 1994. Clermont-Ferrand and Bordeaux and Tours share exactly the same threshold.

Limoges 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 7 of 9

SQM 18.44 mag/arcsec²

Nearest darker sky

Ventadour

2 km · Bortle 2

Kp forecast, next 3 days

Source: app.pulsar-si.com. For an aurora to be visible from Limoges, Kp must exceed 8.

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 Limoges?

Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 8 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Limoges (latitude 45.8° 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 Limoges?

The approximate Kp threshold for Limoges is 8. Below that, auroras stay confined to high latitudes (Norway, Scotland). Above it, they gradually extend southward. A Kp of 9 gives a fair chance, 10 a strong one.

When is the best time to watch from Limoges?

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 Limoges offers better conditions?

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

Nearby cities

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