Northern lights in Kielder tonight, 19 October
Englandâs darkest skies: Kielder Forest and Northumberland form a dark-sky park, with an observatory at Kielder. The aurora reaches northern England during storms. This place needs Kp 4.3: it takes elevated activity, the aurora shows low in the north. Season: August to May.
- Kp today
- up to 4.7
- Kp needed
- 4.3
- it takes elevated activity, the aurora shows low in the north
- Tonight
- May reach
- peak Kp 4.7 against 4.3 needed
- Dark hours
- 19:23â06:28
- Sun below â12°
Will I see it tonight in Kielder
Aurora probability, hourly cloud cover, the Moon and where to drive away from the lights â for this spot.
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Northern lights in Kielder: what to know
- Kp 4.3
- needed for this place
- August to May
- season â when nights are dark
- 14 h
- dark hours in mid-December
How to photograph the northern lights with a phone
A recent phone is enough: what matters is keeping it still and a long exposure.
Night mode
Turn on the camera's night mode. An iPhone held perfectly still offers exposures up to 30 seconds by itself; on Android use "Night" or "Night Sight".
Tripod or support
The phone must stay still: a tripod, a backpack, the car roof. Use a 3-second timer so tapping the shutter doesn't blur the shot.
Manual mode
If you have "Pro": a 5â15 second exposure (shorter for fast-moving aurora), ISO 800â3200, focus at infinity, white balance around 3500â4000 K.
No flash, no lights
Switch off the flash and dim the screen. Step away from streetlights â eyes and camera adapt to the dark in 15â20 minutes.