PACA

Northern lights in Toulon tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Toulon (PACA) - latitude 43.12° N, estimated Kp threshold 9.

Kp index

4.3

unsettled

Hemispheric power

North21GW

South22GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com

Tonight in Toulon

Very unlikely

Based on Kp 4.3 and Toulon's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Toulon

Toulon, at 43.1° N, is one of the southernmost major French cities. Auroras here are exceptional: Kp ≥ 8 required. The harbour and the southern horizon over the Mediterranean don't help (auroras are sought to the north), but Mont Faron and the inland massifs offer elevated observation points.

Observation conditions in Toulon

Bortle 8 over the urban area. The Sainte-Baume massif (Bortle 4, 35 km north) and the Verdon gorges heights (Bortle 3, 80 km north) are the best spots. The Siou-Blanc plateau and Mont Caume offer clear northern horizons nearby. Frequent mistral winds clear the sky after they pass.

Recent auroras from Toulon

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): red aurora from the Sainte-Baume and the Var heights, the first naked-eye sighting in decades. No other notable recent events - the south-east requires major solar storms to see auroras.

What Toulon asks of the sky

Geomagnetic latitude

44.3°

39 of 40

Kp index required

Kp 9

0 / 12 months

Dark nights per year

365

365 / 365

Toulon ranks 39 of the 40 cities we track, at 44.3° geomagnetic. Perpignan sits 0° higher , Ajaccio follows at 42.6°.

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. In Montpellier, Kp 8 is already enough.

Toulon 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 9 of 9

SQM 17.92 mag/arcsec²

Nearest darker sky

Faron

2 km · Bortle 4

Kp forecast, next 3 days

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

Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 9 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Toulon (latitude 43.1° 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 Toulon?

The approximate Kp threshold for Toulon 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 Toulon?

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 Toulon offers better conditions?

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

Nearby cities

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