# Southern lights in Ushuaia tonight and this season

> Southern lights in Ushuaia now: NOAA aurora probability, the Kp index the city needs (Kp 9) and the dark-sky season dates, calculated from the sun.

Canonical: https://kpforecast.com/ushuaia/
Updated on: 2026-10-09

Aurora probability over Ushuaia right now from NOAA, the Kp index the city needs by geomagnetic latitude, the nights that get dark enough, calculated from the sun, and whether any guided tour passes the catalogue filter.

## In short

Southern lights in Ushuaia are rare: the city sits at 45.7° S geomagnetic latitude and NOAA's rule of thumb stops at 48° for Kp 9, 2.3° short of the city. The aurora reaches here only in the strongest storms, low on the southern horizon on nights at the level of 10 to 11 May 2024, the strongest storm in two decades. Fully dark nights in Ushuaia (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 1 February to 9 November. No guided aurora tour from Ushuaia passes the catalogue filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet. The aurora probability over the city right now, from NOAA's OVATION model, is on this page and refreshes every 15 minutes.

## Key points

- Ushuaia at 45.7° S geomagnetic lies 2.3° beyond NOAA's Kp 9 line: aurora only in the strongest storms
- Fully dark nights in Ushuaia (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 1 February to 9 November.
- Aurora probability over Ushuaia from NOAA OVATION, refreshed every 15 minutes with the fetch time shown
- No guided aurora tour in the catalogue passes the filter yet
- Kp forecast for the next 3 days in 3-hour slots, from NOAA SWPC

## Aurora over Ushuaia right now

Live figures on the web page, refreshed every 15 minutes.

## The Kp index Ushuaia needs

Ushuaia lies at 54.8° S, which is 45.7° S geomagnetic latitude on the WMM2025 dipole. NOAA's viewing tips put the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic for Kp 0 and move it about 2° closer to the equator with each Kp level, down to 48° at Kp 9. At 45.7° S Ushuaia lies 2.3° beyond the reach of that rule even at Kp 9, so the cards on this site show Kp 9 and the aurora is a rare event here, seen low on the southern horizon in the strongest storms on nights at the level of 10 to 11 May 2024, the strongest storm in two decades. NOAA also notes that aurora can often be observed hundreds of kilometres equatorward of the oval's edge, so a bright display can show low on the southern horizon one Kp level earlier.

## Kp forecast for the next 3 days

Live figures on the web page, refreshed every 15 minutes.

## When the sky over Ushuaia is dark enough

The aurora needs a dark sky as much as it needs Kp, and darkness is a matter of latitude and date. Fully dark nights in Ushuaia (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 1 February to 9 November. From 14 December to 29 December the sky never gets darker than nautical twilight, so only a strong display shows, low on the horizon. Dates are an own calculation from the sun's declination for the latitude of Ushuaia, with the US Naval Observatory definitions of twilight, and can be a day off at the edges. Clouds and moonlight are the other half of the question: the home page shows the moon phase for each of the next 27 days.

## Why Argentina for the southern lights

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and the Argentine gateway to Antarctica, yet its geomagnetic latitude is lower than Hobart's because the southern magnetic pole sits on the far side of Antarctica. The southern lights are a rare storm-night event here, mostly in the winter months from June to August.
[All places in Argentina with their odds tonight](/argentina/).

## Ushuaia on the Kp scale

Ushuaia is the only place in Argentina on this site. The Locations page ranks all 33 destinations by the Kp they need, from Kp 1 inside the auroral zone to Kp 9 at the edge of NOAA's rule.

## Southern lights tours in Ushuaia

No guided aurora tour from Ushuaia passes the catalogue filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet. The aurora probability above does not depend on tours: a dark spot outside the lights of the town is the first thing to find.

## Ushuaia in numbers for southern lights planning

| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54.8° S, 68.3° W | site destination list |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 45.7° S (WMM2025) | NOAA NCEI, own calculation |
| Kp needed | 9, strongest storms only | NOAA rule of thumb |
| Fully dark nights | 1 February to 9 November | own calculation (Meeus), USNO definitions |
| Too bright for faint aurora | 14 December to 29 December | own calculation (Meeus), USNO definitions |
| Tours that pass the filter | none yet, counted 9 Oct 2026 | booking catalogue |

## Frequently asked questions

### What Kp index do you need to see the southern lights in Ushuaia?

Kp 9, and only in the strongest storms. NOAA's rule of thumb stops at 48° geomagnetic for Kp 9 and Ushuaia sits at 45.7° S, 2.3° beyond it, so the aurora shows here low on the southern horizon on nights at the level of 10 to 11 May 2024, the strongest storm in two decades.

### When is the best time to see the southern lights in Ushuaia?

Fully dark nights in Ushuaia (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 1 February to 9 November. The darkest skies of the month are the 5 nights around the new moon. The home page shows the moon for each of the next 27 days.

### Can you see the southern lights in Ushuaia in summer?

From 14 December to 29 December the sky never gets darker than nautical twilight, so only a strong display shows, low on the horizon.

### How many southern lights tours are there in Ushuaia?

None in the catalogue passes the filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet, so this page shows the probability and the Kp needed for Ushuaia without tours.

### How does Ushuaia compare with other southern lights destinations?

Ushuaia is the only place in Argentina on this site and needs Kp 9, and only in the strongest storms. The Locations page ranks all 33 destinations by the Kp they need, from Kp 1 inside the auroral zone to Kp 9 at the edge of NOAA's rule.

### Why does the Ushuaia aurora probability on this page change?

It comes from NOAA's OVATION model, a forecast for the next 30 to 90 minutes, which this site re-reads at most every 15 minutes. The Kp needed, 9, does not change: it is geography.

## Sources

- [NOAA SWPC, tips on viewing the aurora](https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora), checked on 2026-10-09
- [NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/world-magnetic-model), checked on 2026-10-09
- [NOAA SWPC, OVATION aurora forecast model](https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast), checked on 2026-10-09
- [US Naval Observatory, rise, set and twilight definitions](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/RST_defs), checked on 2026-10-09
- [NASA, what NASA is learning from the biggest geomagnetic storm in 20 years](https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/what-nasa-is-learning-from-the-biggest-geomagnetic-storm-in-20-years/), checked on 2026-10-09