Novgorod Oblast, Russia
Northern lights in Velikiy Novgorod
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
Velikiy Novgorod sits at 58.52N 31.27E in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. The IGRF-14 centered dipole puts Velikiy Novgorod at 55.2 degrees geomagnetic latitude, 3.3 degrees farther from the magnetic pole than its map latitude suggests. Velikiy Novgorod sits at 55.2 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 Chudovo (71 km), Luga (86 km), Kirishi (115 km). Chudovo sits 0.5 degrees higher 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 Velikiy Novgorod has some civil darkness; the shortest month sample still has 2.7 hours. Glow's dark season, at least 4 hours of civil night between 18:00 and 06:00, runs from July 17 to May 25 across New Year, 313 days in 2026. Velikiy Novgorod's longest night of the year, Dec 19, has 15 h 46 min of civil night.
Solar midnight at Velikiy Novgorod, when the sun is lowest, falls at 00:50 on local clocks on December 15 and 00:55 on June 15. That is 50 min after midnight in December and 55 min after midnight in June, the gap set by daylight saving and the equation of time. So at Velikiy Novgorod 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 | 82% | 2.7 h | |
| Feb | 13.1 h | 10.0 h | 78% | 2.9 h | |
| Mar | 10.8 h | 7.5 h | 70% | 3.2 hbest | |
| Apr | 7.9 h | 3.4 h | 65% | 2.8 h | |
| May | 5.0 h | 0.0 h | 61% | 2.0 h | |
| Jun | 2.6 h | 0.0 h | 66% | 0.9 h | |
| Jul | 3.9 h | 0.0 h | 63% | 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 | 80% | 2.5 h | |
| Nov | 14.5 h | 11.3 h | 86% | 2.0 h | |
| Dec | 15.7 h | 12.3 h | 87% | 2.0 h |
By the 15th-of-the-month sample, December is the darkest month at Velikiy Novgorod with 15.7 hours of civil night and June the lightest at 2.7. Across the year Velikiy Novgorod gets 3,570 hours of civil night. Astronomical night at Velikiy Novgorod, 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 Velikiy Novgorod at 72% across the year, from 61% in May to 87% in December. In the months with at least 4 hours of civil night Velikiy Novgorod 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, 3.2 hours, ahead of September at 3.1. Velikiy Novgorod's equinox months score 3.2 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 Velikiy Novgorod, on 3% of days. At Velikiy Novgorod'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 Velikiy Novgorod have at least 2 moon-free dark hours inside 10 PM to 2 AM, and Oct 6 has the most at 4 h. Tonight Velikiy Novgorod has 11 h 11 min of civil night, 1 h 1 min of it with the moon down.
- 2
58% lit
1.0 h
- 3
47% lit
2.5 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
10.3 h
- 18
52% lit
9.0 h
- 19
62% lit
7.5 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
0.1 h
- 30
72% lit
1.4 h
- 31
61% lit
3.1 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 2 Glow towns in Novgorod Oblast, Velikiy Novgorod ranks 2nd by dipole latitude against a regional median of 55.5 degrees; Chudovo sits highest at 55.8. Among the 77 Glow towns in Russia, Velikiy Novgorod ranks 76th by dipole latitude against a national median of 57.3 degrees; Nikel sits highest at 65.7. On December 15 Velikiy Novgorod gets 15.7 hours of civil night, 77th longest of 77 in Russia, where the median is 16.7.
Questions
- Can you see the northern lights in Velikiy Novgorod?
- Velikiy Novgorod sits at 55.2 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 Velikiy Novgorod still decides it.
- When is it dark enough in Velikiy Novgorod?
- Every night at Velikiy Novgorod has civil darkness. Tonight has 11 h 11 min, and December 15 has 15.7 hours.
- What is the best month for aurora in Velikiy Novgorod?
- March, by civil night at Velikiy Novgorod times the clear share of the sky from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 average.
- How cloudy is Velikiy Novgorod in the dark months?
- About 74% mean cloud amount over Velikiy Novgorod 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 Velikiy Novgorod?
- 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
Velikiy Novgorod by month
Region and comparisons