Ireland · 28 towns
Aurora towns in Leinster
Answer
Where the towns sit
The widest gap in the dipole ranking falls between Kilkenny and Wexford, 0.4 degrees. 14 neighbouring pairs sit within 0.5 degrees of each other, close enough that the order between them means little.
Of the 15 indexed towns in Leinster, 15 sit between 55 and 60 degrees, where G1 (Kp 5) or less usually brings aurora into view.
Ranked by geomagnetic latitude
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk | 56.8° |
| 2 | Drogheda | 56.5° |
| 3 | Navan | 56.5° |
| 4 | An Muileann gCearr | 56.4° |
| 5 | Athlone | 56.4° |
| 6 | Balbriggan | 56.3° |
| 7 | Tullamore | 56.2° |
| 8 | Celbridge | 56.1° |
| 9 | Dublin | 56.1° |
| 10 | Droichead Nua | 56.0° |
| 11 | Portlaoise | 56.0° |
| 12 | Bray | 55.9° |
| 13 | Carlow | 55.7° |
| 14 | Kilkenny | 55.6° |
| 15 | Wexford | 55.2° |
Ranked by December darkness
On December 15 the median town gets 14.9 hours of civil night, against 14.9 nationally. Dundalk has the most at 15.0 hours and Kilkenny the least at 14.8. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk | 15.0 h |
| 2 | Drogheda | 15.0 h |
| 3 | Navan | 15.0 h |
| 4 | An Muileann gCearr | 15.0 h |
| 5 | Balbriggan | 15.0 h |
| 6 | Athlone | 14.9 h |
| 7 | Tullamore | 14.9 h |
| 8 | Celbridge | 14.9 h |
| 9 | Dublin | 14.9 h |
| 10 | Droichead Nua | 14.9 h |
| 11 | Portlaoise | 14.9 h |
| 12 | Bray | 14.9 h |
| 13 | Carlow | 14.9 h |
| 14 | Kilkenny | 14.8 h |
| 15 | Wexford | 14.8 h |
Ranked by clear dark season
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology puts median cloud amount in the dark months at 75%, against 75% nationally. Carlow is clearest at 75% and Dundalk cloudiest at 79%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlow | 75% |
| 2 | Kilkenny | 75% |
| 3 | Wexford | 75% |
| 4 | Drogheda | 75% |
| 5 | Navan | 75% |
| 6 | An Muileann gCearr | 75% |
| 7 | Athlone | 75% |
| 8 | Balbriggan | 75% |
| 9 | Tullamore | 75% |
| 10 | Celbridge | 75% |
| 11 | Dublin | 75% |
| 12 | Droichead Nua | 75% |
| 13 | Portlaoise | 75% |
| 14 | Bray | 75% |
| 15 | Dundalk | 79% |
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, November comes out best for 11 of the 15 towns and December for 4. SWPC notes a tendency toward larger storms near the equinoxes, which this score does not include.
Every town
| Town | Dipole | Storm needed | Dec 15 night | Dark-month cloud | Best month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk | 56.8° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 79% | Dec |
| Drogheda | 56.5° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| Navan | 56.5° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| An Muileann gCearr | 56.4° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| Athlone | 56.4° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Balbriggan | 56.3° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| Tullamore | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Swords * | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Maynooth * | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Malahide * | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Blanchardstown * | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Leixlip * | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Finglas * | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Lucan * | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Celbridge | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Dublin | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Tallaght * | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Rathfarnham * | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Naas * | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Dún Laoghaire * | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Droichead Nua | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Sandyford * | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Portlaoise | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Bray | 55.9° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Greystones * | 55.9° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Carlow | 55.7° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Dec |
| Kilkenny | 55.6° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Wexford | 55.2° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
Questions
- Where in Leinster is best for the aurora?
- By geomagnetic latitude, Dundalk at 56.8°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
- Which town in Leinster has the longest December night?
- Dundalk, with 15.0 hours of civil night on December 15.
- Which town in Leinster has the clearest dark season?
- Carlow, with 75% mean cloud amount in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).
- What is the best month for aurora in Leinster?
- November for 11 of 15 towns, by civil night times the clear share of the sky. Each town page gives its own month.
Sources and verification
- GeoNames dump (CC BY 4.0)https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/
- IGRF-14, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
- NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.