Leningradskaya Oblast', Russia
Northern lights in Kommunar
Answer
Tonight
Waiting on darkness
It is not civil-dark yet. The next dusk is listed below.
Observed 11:49 UTC, forecast 13:20 UTC, 91 min lead
Clock times in Europe/Moscow
Storm level needed
Kommunar sits at 59.62N 30.39E in Leningradskaya Oblast', Russia. The IGRF-14 centered dipole puts Kommunar at 56.4 degrees geomagnetic latitude, 3.2 degrees farther from the magnetic pole than its map latitude suggests. Kommunar sits at 56.4 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 5, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less.
"aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine)"
The nearest other Glow towns are Gatchina (16 km), Kolpino (18 km), Tosno (29 km). Gatchina sits 0.0 degrees lower on the dipole and needs the same Kp.
Approximate: SWPC calls its Kp to latitude rule an average, and a centered dipole can differ by a degree from fuller field models. How the storm level is matched
The year in darkness
Every night of 2026 at Kommunar has some civil darkness; the shortest month sample still has 1.6 hours. Glow's dark season, at least 4 hours of civil night between 18:00 and 06:00, runs from July 22 to May 20 across New Year, 303 days in 2026. Kommunar's longest night of the year, Dec 18, has 15 h 58 min of civil night.
Solar midnight at Kommunar, when the sun is lowest, falls at 00:54 on local clocks on December 15 and 00:59 on June 15. That is 54 min after midnight in December and 59 min after midnight in June, the gap set by daylight saving and the equation of time. So at Kommunar the darkest hour sits late in SWPC's 10 PM to 2 AM window.
Month by month
| Month | Night | Civil | Cloud | Clear dark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.3 h | 11.9 h | 84% | 2.4 h | |
| Feb | 13.1 h | 9.9 h | 81% | 2.5 h | |
| Mar | 10.7 h | 7.3 h | 71% | 3.1 hbest | |
| Apr | 7.8 h | 2.7 h | 66% | 2.7 h | |
| May | 4.6 h | 0.0 h | 63% | 1.7 h | |
| Jun | 1.6 h | 0.0 h | 67% | 0.5 h | |
| Jul | 3.3 h | 0.0 h | 65% | 1.2 h | |
| Aug | 6.6 h | 0.0 h | 64% | 2.4 h | |
| Sep | 9.6 h | 6.0 h | 70% | 2.9 h | |
| Oct | 12.3 h | 9.1 h | 80% | 2.5 h | |
| Nov | 14.7 h | 11.3 h | 87% | 1.9 h | |
| Dec | 15.9 h | 12.4 h | 88% | 1.9 h |
By the 15th-of-the-month sample, December is the darkest month at Kommunar with 15.9 hours of civil night and June the lightest at 1.6. Across the year Kommunar gets 3,507 hours of civil night. Astronomical night at Kommunar, the sun 18 degrees or more below the horizon, lasts 12.4 hours on December 15.
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 all-hours climatology puts mean cloud amount for the 1 degree cell around Kommunar at 74% across the year, from 63% in May to 88% in December. In the months with at least 4 hours of civil night Kommunar averages 75%, against a median of 77% for Glow towns in Russia.
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky gives March the best score, 3.1 hours, ahead of September at 2.9. Kommunar's equinox months score 3.1 in March and 2.9 in September, the weeks SWPC links with larger storms.
Kp history
From 1996 to 2025, the GFZ Potsdam record shows a 3-hour Kp of 5 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge over Kommunar, on 10% of days. At Kommunar's level the share runs from 5% in December to 14% in September, while storm days with Kp 5 or more made up 10%.
Share of UTC days in each calendar month whose highest 3-hour Kp reached Kp 5. Kp history by year
Moon, next 30 nights
Over the 30 nights from Oct 2, the new moon falls on Oct 10 and the full moon on Oct 26, in Europe/Moscow dates. 15 of the 30 nights at Kommunar have at least 2 moon-free dark hours inside 10 PM to 2 AM, and Oct 6 has the most at 4 h. Tonight Kommunar has 11 h 10 min of civil night, 42 min of it with the moon down.
- 2
58% lit
0.7 h
- 3
47% lit
2.2 h
- 4
35% lit
4.0 h
- 5
25% lit
5.8 h
- 6
16% lit
7.5 h
- 7
9% lit
9.2 h
- 8
4% lit
10.8 h
- 9
1% lit
11.8 h
- 10
0% lit
11.9 h
- 11
2% lit
11.9 h
- 12
5% lit
12.0 h
- 13
10% lit
12.1 h
- 14
17% lit
12.2 h
- 15
25% lit
12.3 h
- 16
33% lit
11.9 h
- 17
43% lit
10.6 h
- 18
52% lit
9.2 h
- 19
62% lit
7.7 h
- 20
71% lit
6.2 h
- 21
79% lit
4.8 h
- 22
87% lit
3.3 h
- 23
93% lit
1.8 h
- 24
98% lit
0.3 h
- 25
100% lit
0.0 h
- 26
99% lit
0.0 h
- 27
96% lit
0.0 h
- 28
90% lit
0.0 h
- 29
82% lit
0.0 h
- 30
72% lit
1.2 h
- 31
61% lit
2.9 h
Each cell is the night that starts on that date. Hours are civil-dark time with the moon below the horizon; the green rule scales with them. Green outline: new moon. Bone outline: full moon.
Within Russia
Among the 19 Glow towns in Leningradskaya Oblast', Kommunar ranks 11th by dipole latitude against a regional median of 56.4 degrees; Priozërsk sits highest at 57.8. Among the 77 Glow towns in Russia, Kommunar ranks 57th by dipole latitude against a national median of 57.3 degrees; Nikel sits highest at 65.7. On December 15 Kommunar gets 15.9 hours of civil night, 66th longest of 77 in Russia, where the median is 16.7.
Questions
- Can you see the northern lights in Kommunar?
- Kommunar sits at 56.4 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 5, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less. Clear, dark sky over Kommunar still decides it.
- When is it dark enough in Kommunar?
- Every night at Kommunar has civil darkness. Tonight has 11 h 10 min, and December 15 has 15.9 hours.
- What is the best month for aurora in Kommunar?
- March, by civil night at Kommunar times the clear share of the sky from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 average.
- How cloudy is Kommunar in the dark months?
- About 75% mean cloud amount over Kommunar in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 all-hours climatology.
- How often is activity high enough for Kommunar?
- A 3-hour Kp of 5 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge overhead, occurred on 10% of days from 1996 to 2025 in the GFZ Potsdam record.
Nearby and related
Nearest Glow towns
Kommunar by month
Region and comparisons