Grand Est

Northern lights in Strasbourg tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Strasbourg (Grand Est) - latitude 48.57° N, estimated Kp threshold 8.

Kp index

4.3

unsettled

Hemispheric power

North21GW

South22GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com

Tonight in Strasbourg

Very unlikely

Based on Kp 4.3 and Strasbourg's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Strasbourg

Strasbourg, at 48.6° N, benefits from the most eastern position of continental France. The observation threshold drops to around Kp 6.5-7 here. The Alsace plain offers a clear northern horizon for tens of kilometres, but cross-border light pollution (Germany) adds a visible glow. The May 2024 storm produced a pink aurora visible from the cathedral and, even better, from the Champ du Feu in the Vosges.

Observation conditions in Strasbourg

Strasbourg is rated Bortle 7, with light pollution stretched along the upper Rhine. The Vosges provide the best sites: Champ du Feu (Bortle 4, 50 km), Hohneck (Bortle 3, 100 km), Ballon d'Alsace (Bortle 3, 130 km). The German Black Forest, easily accessible, has Bortle 3-4 zones. The continental climate gives sometimes very clear but cold winters: plan accordingly.

Recent auroras from Strasbourg

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): pink and green aurora photographed from Champ du Feu, Donon and the Thousand Ponds plateau. 5 November 2023 (Kp 7): Vosges sightings. 8 September 2017 (Kp 7.7): green aurora visible in the Vosges.

What Strasbourg asks of the sky

Geomagnetic latitude

49.3°

20 of 40

Kp index required

Kp 8

2 / 12 months

Dark nights per year

362

-3

Strasbourg ranks 20 of the 40 cities we track, at 49.3° geomagnetic. Nantes sits 0.1° higher , Tours follows at 49.3°.

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. In Metz, Kp 7 is already enough.

A constraint specific to this latitude: astronomical night disappears from 21 juin to 23 juin. Those 3 nights are lost in advance, whatever the Sun does. That leaves 362 usable nights.

How to read the Kp index →

Local conditions

Light pollution

Bortle 7 of 9

SQM 18.56 mag/arcsec²

Nearest darker sky

Neudorf

2 km · Bortle 6

Kp forecast, next 3 days

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

Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 8 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Strasbourg (latitude 48.6° 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 Strasbourg?

The approximate Kp threshold for Strasbourg 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 Strasbourg?

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 Strasbourg offers better conditions?

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

Nearby cities

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