Northern Lights tonight in Hamm

Tonight in Hamm

Hamm sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 52.2° N, so the aurora usually needs a Kp index of about 6 or higher before it rises above the northern horizon. Tonight's NOAA forecast peaks at Kp 3 (quiet) during the dark hours, 3.0 short of what Hamm needs.

The Moon is 100% illuminated (full moon), bright enough to wash out a faint aurora, so only a stronger display will stand out. For the best view look north, low on the horizon, from somewhere away from street lights.

Right now NOAA's OVATION model gives up to 0% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Hamm. OVATION is a short-range nowcast (30 to 90 minutes ahead), useful for deciding whether to step outside now.

3-day Kp forecast

None of the next 3 days reaches the Kp 6 that Hamm needs. Kp is a global 0–9 index of geomagnetic activity, issued in 3-hour blocks (UTC); NOAA forecasts beyond 24 hours are uncertain, because storms are triggered by solar eruptions that take 1–3 days to arrive.

Why Hamm needs Kp 6

The aurora forms in an oval around the geomagnetic pole, which sits in the Canadian Arctic (about 80.8° N, 72.8° W), not at the geographic pole. That is why the Kp a city needs depends on its geomagnetic rather than its geographic latitude. At Kp 0 the oval's edge is near 66° geomagnetic; each step of Kp pushes it roughly 2° toward the equator.

At 52.2° geomagnetic, Hamm needs about Kp 6 for aurora low on the horizon, Kp 8 or more for a display high in the sky.

Aurora forecast for nearby cities

• Northern lights Dortmund
• Northern lights Münster
• Northern lights Hagen
• Northern lights Recklinghausen
• Northern lights Herne
• Northern lights Bochum
• Northern lights Gelsenkirchen
• Northern lights Essen

More sky and weather

• Aurora forecast (all cities)
• Northern Taurids meteor shower
• Meteor showers
• Weather warnings