Centre-Val de Loire

Northern lights in Orléans tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Orléans (Centre-Val de Loire) - latitude 47.90° N, estimated Kp threshold 8.

Kp index

4.3

unsettled

Hemispheric power

North21GW

South22GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com

Tonight in Orléans

Very unlikely

Based on Kp 4.3 and Orléans's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Orléans

Orléans, at 47.9° N on the Loire, benefits from a favourable latitude and a clear northern horizon over the Loire valley. Auroras become visible from Kp 6.5-7. The Sologne to the south and the Beauce to the north offer very dark skies a short drive away. May 2024 produced spectacular auroras here, relayed by France 3 Centre.

Observation conditions in Orléans

Bortle 7 in the centre. The Sologne (Bortle 3-4, 30-50 km south) is among the darkest skies in the northern half of France. The Beauce, with little relief, also offers ideal plain conditions for observation. The Orléans forest (Bortle 5, 20 km north-east) is a close option for quick observation.

Recent auroras from Orléans

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): exceptional aurora visible from the Sologne, photos relayed by France 3 Centre. 24 March 2024 (Kp 8): observations from the Beauce. 5 November 2023 (Kp 7): faint aurora reported in the Sologne.

What Orléans asks of the sky

Geomagnetic latitude

49.6°

17 of 40

Kp index required

Kp 8

2 / 12 months

Dark nights per year

365

365 / 365

Orléans ranks 17 of the 40 cities we track, at 49.6° geomagnetic. Le Mans sits 0.3° higher , Nancy follows at 49.6°.

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. In Paris, Kp 7 is already enough.

Orléans 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 18.66 mag/arcsec²

Nearest darker sky

Fleury-les-Aubrais

2 km · Bortle 3

Kp forecast, next 3 days

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

Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 8 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Orléans (latitude 47.9° 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 Orléans?

The approximate Kp threshold for Orléans 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 Orléans?

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 Orléans offers better conditions?

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

Nearby cities

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