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Northern lights ¡ United Kingdom

Northern lights in Orkney tonight, 19 October

Low, treeless islands with an open horizon all around. Watch from the north-facing shores, away from the lights of Kirkwall. This place needs Kp 2.5: low to moderate activity is enough, the aurora is frequent. Season: August to April.

Will I see it tonightAll places in the UK
Kp today
up to 4.7
Kp needed
2.5
low to moderate activity is enough, the aurora is frequent
Tonight
May reach
peak Kp 4.7 against 2.5 needed
Dark hours
19:24–06:30
Sun below −12°
Right now

Will I see it tonight in Orkney

Aurora probability, hourly cloud cover, the Moon and where to drive away from the lights — for this spot.

Place: 58.982, -2.960

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About the place

Northern lights in Orkney: what to know

Kp 2.5
needed for this place
August to April
season — when nights are dark
14 h
dark hours in mid-December
How to shoot

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 5–15 second exposure (shorter for fast-moving aurora), ISO 800–3200, focus at infinity, white balance around 3500–4000 K.

No flash, no lights

Switch off the flash and dim the screen. Step away from streetlights — eyes and camera adapt to the dark in 15–20 minutes.

FAQ

Northern lights in Orkney: FAQ

Will there be northern lights in Orkney tonight?
Today's forecast peak is Kp 4.7, and this place needs Kp 2.5 — the aurora may reach it. Besides Kp, clouds and darkness decide: the hourly answer with cloud cover is in the "Will I see it tonight" block.
What Kp do you need for the northern lights in Orkney?
About Kp 2.5: low to moderate activity is enough, the aurora is frequent. The higher the Kp, the further south the auroral oval spreads; at one Kp above the need the aurora climbs higher above the horizon.
When is the northern lights season in Orkney?
The season is August to April: nights are dark enough in these months. Geomagnetic activity is on average higher around the equinoxes — in March and in September–October. The best time of night is around local midnight.
How do you photograph the northern lights with a phone?
Turn on night mode (an iPhone on a tripod offers exposures up to 30 seconds by itself) or use manual mode with a 5–15 second exposure and ISO 800–3200. Put the phone on a tripod or a steady surface, focus at infinity and switch the flash off.

Other places in the UK

ShetlandThurso (Caithness)Isle of SkyeInvernessAviemore (Cairngorms)AberdeenEdinburghKielder (Northumberland)Giant’s Causeway (Northern Ireland)LondonAll places in the UKWhere to see the aurora — all countries
Related
Aurora forecastKp, solar wind and a 27-day outlookGeomagnetic stormsKp today and for three daysDark skyWhere to drive away from light pollution
Northern lights in Orkney tonight, 19 October: forecast, Kp 2.5 needed — CAMPLY