Ireland · 8 towns
Aurora towns in Munster
Answer
Where the towns sit
The widest gap in the dipole ranking falls between Ennis and Limerick, 0.2 degrees. 5 neighbouring pairs sit within 0.5 degrees of each other, close enough that the order between them means little.
Of the 6 indexed towns in Munster, 6 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 | Ennis | 56.0° |
| 2 | Limerick | 55.8° |
| 3 | Tralee | 55.6° |
| 4 | Cluain Meala | 55.4° |
| 5 | Waterford, Munster | 55.2° |
| 6 | Cork | 55.0° |
Ranked by December darkness
On December 15 the median town gets 14.8 hours of civil night, against 14.9 nationally. Ennis has the most at 14.9 hours and Cork the least at 14.7. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ennis | 14.9 h |
| 2 | Limerick | 14.8 h |
| 3 | Tralee | 14.8 h |
| 4 | Cluain Meala | 14.8 h |
| 5 | Waterford, Munster | 14.8 h |
| 6 | Cork | 14.7 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. Cork is clearest at 70% and Tralee cloudiest at 76%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork | 70% |
| 2 | Cluain Meala | 75% |
| 3 | Waterford, Munster | 75% |
| 4 | Ennis | 76% |
| 5 | Limerick | 76% |
| 6 | Tralee | 76% |
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, November comes out best for 4 of the 6 towns and December for 2. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ennis | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 76% | Nov |
| Limerick | 55.8° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 76% | Nov |
| Tralee | 55.6° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 76% | Nov |
| Cluain Meala | 55.4° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Waterford, Munster | 55.2° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Ballincollig * | 55.0° | G1 or less | 14.7 h | 70% | Nov |
| Cork | 55.0° | G1 or less | 14.7 h | 70% | Nov |
| Douglas, Munster * | 55.0° | G1 or less | 14.7 h | 70% | Nov |
Questions
- Where in Munster is best for the aurora?
- By geomagnetic latitude, Ennis at 56.0°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
- Which town in Munster has the longest December night?
- Ennis, with 14.9 hours of civil night on December 15.
- Which town in Munster has the clearest dark season?
- Cork, with 70% 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 Munster?
- November for 4 of 6 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.