Leningradskaya Oblast', Russia
Northern lights in Luga
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
Luga sits at 58.74N 29.85E in Leningradskaya Oblast', Russia. The IGRF-14 centered dipole puts Luga at 55.7 degrees geomagnetic latitude, 3.1 degrees farther from the magnetic pole than its map latitude suggests. Luga sits at 55.7 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 6, 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 Velikiy Novgorod (86 km), Gatchina (95 km), Kingisepp (100 km). Velikiy Novgorod sits 0.4 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 Luga has some civil darkness; the shortest month sample still has 2.5 hours. Glow's dark season, at least 4 hours of civil night between 18:00 and 06:00, runs from July 18 to May 24 across New Year, 311 days in 2026. Luga's longest night of the year, Dec 18, has 15 h 48 min of civil night.
Solar midnight at Luga, when the sun is lowest, falls at 00:56 on local clocks on December 15 and 01:01 on June 15. That is 56 min after midnight in December and 1 h 1 min after midnight in June, the gap set by daylight saving and the equation of time. So at Luga the darkest hour sits late in SWPC's 10 PM to 2 AM window.
Month by month
| Month | Night | Civil | Cloud | Clear dark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.1 h | 11.8 h | 83% | 2.6 h | |
| Feb | 13.1 h | 10.0 h | 79% | 2.8 h | |
| Mar | 10.7 h | 7.5 h | 69% | 3.3 hbest | |
| Apr | 7.9 h | 3.2 h | 64% | 2.8 h | |
| May | 4.9 h | 0.0 h | 60% | 2.0 h | |
| Jun | 2.5 h | 0.0 h | 66% | 0.8 h | |
| Jul | 3.8 h | 0.0 h | 62% | 1.4 h | |
| Aug | 6.8 h | 0.0 h | 62% | 2.6 h | |
| Sep | 9.7 h | 6.2 h | 68% | 3.1 h | |
| Oct | 12.3 h | 9.2 h | 79% | 2.6 h | |
| Nov | 14.6 h | 11.3 h | 86% | 2.0 h | |
| Dec | 15.8 h | 12.3 h | 87% | 2.1 h |
By the 15th-of-the-month sample, December is the darkest month at Luga with 15.8 hours of civil night and June the lightest at 2.5. Across the year Luga gets 3,559 hours of civil night. Astronomical night at Luga, the sun 18 degrees or more below the horizon, lasts 12.3 hours on December 15.
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 all-hours climatology puts mean cloud amount for the 1 degree cell around Luga at 72% across the year, from 60% in May to 87% in December. In the months with at least 4 hours of civil night Luga averages 74%, 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, 3.3 hours, ahead of September at 3.1. Luga's equinox months score 3.3 in March and 3.1 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 6 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge over Luga, on 3% of days. At Luga's level the share runs from 1% in December to 5% in October, 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 6. 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 Luga have at least 2 moon-free dark hours inside 10 PM to 2 AM, and Oct 6 has the most at 4 h. Tonight Luga has 11 h 11 min of civil night, 58 min of it with the moon down.
- 2
58% lit
1.0 h
- 3
47% lit
2.4 h
- 4
35% lit
4.2 h
- 5
25% lit
5.9 h
- 6
16% lit
7.6 h
- 7
9% lit
9.2 h
- 8
4% lit
10.8 h
- 9
1% lit
11.8 h
- 10
0% lit
11.8 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
11.6 h
- 17
43% lit
10.4 h
- 18
52% lit
9.0 h
- 19
62% lit
7.6 h
- 20
71% lit
6.1 h
- 21
79% lit
4.7 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
1.4 h
- 31
61% lit
3.0 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', Luga ranks 19th by dipole latitude against a regional median of 56.4 degrees; Priozërsk sits highest at 57.8. Among the 77 Glow towns in Russia, Luga ranks 74th by dipole latitude against a national median of 57.3 degrees; Nikel sits highest at 65.7. On December 15 Luga gets 15.8 hours of civil night, 74th longest of 77 in Russia, where the median is 16.7.
Questions
- Can you see the northern lights in Luga?
- Luga sits at 55.7 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 6, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less. Clear, dark sky over Luga still decides it.
- When is it dark enough in Luga?
- Every night at Luga has civil darkness. Tonight has 11 h 11 min, and December 15 has 15.8 hours.
- What is the best month for aurora in Luga?
- March, by civil night at Luga times the clear share of the sky from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 average.
- How cloudy is Luga in the dark months?
- About 74% mean cloud amount over Luga 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 Luga?
- A 3-hour Kp of 6 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge overhead, occurred on 3% of days from 1996 to 2025 in the GFZ Potsdam record.
Nearby and related
Nearest Glow towns
Luga by month
Region and comparisons