Northern Lights Des Moines – Visible Tonight? Kp 6 Needed

From Kp 6 the aurora can be seen on the horizon in Des Moines, from Kp 8 high in the sky. NOAA's live 3-day Kp forecast and tonight's dark hours.

Aurora over Des Moines

  • Des Moines lies at 50° geomagnetic latitude. From Kp 6 an aurora can show low over the northern horizon, from Kp 8 it can reach overhead – on a dark, clear night away from city lights.

Dark hours in Des Moines – the next 7 nights

  • Thu, November 5: fully dark from 18:38 to 05:17, moon 13 % lit
  • Fri, November 6: fully dark from 18:37 to 05:18, moon 7 % lit
  • Sat, November 7: fully dark from 18:36 to 05:19, moon 3 % lit
  • Sun, November 8: fully dark from 18:35 to 05:21, moon 0 % lit
  • Mon, November 9: fully dark from 18:35 to 05:22, moon 0 % lit
  • Tue, November 10: fully dark from 18:34 to 05:23, moon 2 % lit
  • Wed, November 11: fully dark from 18:33 to 05:24, moon 6 % lit

Which Kp is enough where?

  • Reykjavik: On the horizon from Kp 0 · High in the sky from Kp 0
  • Tromsø: On the horizon from Kp 0 · High in the sky from Kp 0
  • Edinburgh: On the horizon from Kp 2 · High in the sky from Kp 4
  • Oslo: On the horizon from Kp 1.3 · High in the sky from Kp 3.3
  • Stockholm: On the horizon from Kp 2.3 · High in the sky from Kp 4
  • Helsinki: On the horizon from Kp 2.3 · High in the sky from Kp 4.3
  • Copenhagen: On the horizon from Kp 3.3 · High in the sky from Kp 5.3
  • Hamburg: On the horizon from Kp 4.3 · High in the sky from Kp 6.3
  • Berlin: On the horizon from Kp 5 · High in the sky from Kp 7
  • London: On the horizon from Kp 4.3 · High in the sky from Kp 6.3
  • Warsaw: On the horizon from Kp 5.7 · High in the sky from Kp 7.7
  • Munich: On the horizon from Kp 7 · High in the sky from Kp 9
  • Paris: On the horizon from Kp 6 · High in the sky from Kp 8
  • Toronto: On the horizon from Kp 4.7 · High in the sky from Kp 6.7
  • Data: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

How long it gets fully dark in Des Moines

  • The night after the 15th of each month: how long the sun stays more than 18° below the horizon. An aurora needs that dark sky – far north, summer has none at all.
  • January: 11 h 13 min · 18:47–06:00
  • February: 10 h 14 min · 19:21–05:35
  • March: 8 h 58 min · 20:53–05:51
  • April: 7 h 17 min · 21:35–04:52
  • May: 5 h 35 min · 22:23–03:58
  • June: 4 h 29 min · 23:00–03:29
  • July: 5 h 2 min · 22:49–03:51
  • August: 6 h 41 min · 21:58–04:39
  • September: 8 h 24 min · 20:57–05:21
  • October: 9 h 50 min · 20:05–05:55
  • November: 10 h 58 min · 18:30–05:28
  • December: 11 h 29 min · 18:25–05:54

How to see it

  • Look toward the pole: North in the northern hemisphere, south in the southern – away from city lights.
  • Use your phone's night mode: A camera shows colours the eye cannot see yet – the aurora often looks grey at first.
  • Be patient: The aurora comes in bursts, often 20–30 minutes apart.
  • Check the clouds: Without a clear view to the horizon nothing helps.

FAQ

  • What does the Kp index mean? The Kp index measures from 0 to 9 how disturbed Earth's magnetic field is. The higher it is, the farther the auroral oval moves toward the equator. From Kp 5 NOAA speaks of a geomagnetic storm.
  • When is the best time for the northern lights? Around magnetic midnight – in central Europe roughly between 10 pm and 2 am – and around the equinoxes in spring and autumn, when storms are a little more frequent.
  • How reliable is the forecast? The Kp forecast for the next hours is quite good, for two or three days only rough: solar storms take one to three days to reach Earth, and their exact strength often only shows shortly before.