Skip to main content
Centre-Val de Loire

Northern lights in Tours tonight

Real-time aurora forecast for Tours (Centre-Val de Loire) - latitude 47.39° N, estimated Kp threshold 8.8.

Kp index
6.3
moderate
Hemispheric power
North35GW
South38GW

Source: app.pulsar-si.com
Tonight in Tours
Very unlikely
Based on Kp 6.3 and Tours's latitude.

Seeing the northern lights from Tours

Tours, at 47.4° N in the Loire valley, has an extended northern horizon over the Loire plain. Auroras become visible from Kp 7. The châteaux and Touraine countryside provide attractive observation settings, with moderate light pollution outside the urban area. May 2024 enabled rare photos along the Loire banks.

Observation conditions in Tours

Bortle 7 over Tours. The Loches forest (Bortle 4-5, 40 km south) and the Loire banks toward Amboise give access to darker skies. The Loire-Anjou-Touraine regional park (Bortle 4, 60 km west) is an excellent spot. The Sologne, further east, offers one of the best Centre region skies despite its proximity to Orléans.

Recent auroras from Tours

10-11 May 2024 (Kp 9): red and green aurora photographed from the Loire banks and the Vouvray slopes. 24 March 2024 (Kp 8): sightings from the Sologne. 5 November 2023 (Kp 7): observations from the Loches forest.

Local conditions

Light pollution
Bortle 6 of 9
SQM 18.97 mag/arcsec²
Nearest darker sky
Saint-Symphorien
2 km · Bortle 2

Frequently asked questions

Can you see the northern lights from Tours?
Yes, but rarely. Typically a Kp index of ≥ 8.8 is needed for the aurora to become visible from Tours (latitude 47.4° 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 Tours?
The approximate Kp threshold for Tours is 8.8. Below that, auroras stay confined to high latitudes (Norway, Scotland). Above it, they gradually extend southward. A Kp of 9.8 gives a fair chance, 10.8 a strong one.
When is the best time to watch from Tours?
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 Tours offers better conditions?
Move at least 40-60 km north of Tours to escape urban light pollution and gain 1-2 magnitudes of limiting magnitude.

Nearby cities

Centre-Val de Loire
Orléans
Pays de la Loire
Le Mans
Pays de la Loire
Nantes
Mobile app

Get an aurora alert in Tours

Automatic notification the moment the Kp index crosses the visibility threshold for Tours. Free alerts, forecasts tuned to your exact address.