PACA

Northern lights in Nice tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Nice (PACA) - latitude 43.71° N, estimated Kp threshold 9.

Kp index

4.3

unsettled

Hemispheric power

North21GW

South22GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com

Tonight in Nice

Very unlikely

Based on Kp 4.3 and Nice's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Nice

Nice sits at 43.7° N, bordered by the Mediterranean to the south and the pre-Alps of the Azur to the north. Auroras here are exceptional (Kp ≥ 8 required), but the altitude of the surrounding hills offers remarkable observation points with a sometimes perfect northern horizon, far from coastal light pollution. The May 2024 storm produced a red aurora visible from the heights of Cimiez and, better, from the Col de la Madone at Menton.

Observation conditions in Nice

The Nice-Monaco coastal strip is Bortle 8. For observation, head inland: the Caussols plateau (Bortle 3, 30 km north) is home to the Observatory of the Côte d'Azur. The Mercantour National Park (Bortle 2, 80 km north) offers exceptional conditions. The Mediterranean climate gives many clear nights, especially in autumn and winter.

Recent auroras from Nice

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): red aurora photographed from Col de Turini, the Caussols plateau and the heights of Menton. 24 March 2024 (Kp 8): sightings from the Mercantour.

What Nice asks of the sky

Geomagnetic latitude

44.6°

36 of 40

Kp index required

Kp 9

0 / 12 months

Dark nights per year

365

365 / 365

Nice ranks 36 of the 40 cities we track, at 44.6° geomagnetic. Montpellier sits 0.5° higher , Marseille follows at 44.5°.

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. Marseille and Toulon and Ajaccio share exactly the same threshold.

Nice 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 8 of 9

SQM 18.04 mag/arcsec²

Nearest darker sky

Carabacel

2 km · Bortle 6

Kp forecast, next 3 days

Source: app.pulsar-si.com. For an aurora to be visible from Nice, 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 Nice?

Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 9 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Nice (latitude 43.7° 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 Nice?

The approximate Kp threshold for Nice 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 Nice?

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 Nice offers better conditions?

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

Nearby cities

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