Illinois · CT
Can You See the Northern Lights in Illinois Tonight?
NO (Rockford area). Not worth a special trip tonight. Aurora activity is not expected to reach Illinois tonight.
NO
Not worth a special trip tonight.
Tonight’s hours (CT)
| Time | Reading | Sky |
|---|---|---|
| 12:45 AM–1:15 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 1:15 AM–1:45 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 1:45 AM–2:15 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 2:15 AM–2:45 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 2:45 AM–3:15 AM CT | NO | Clear |
Rest of the night
| 3:15 AM–3:45 AM CT | NO | Clear |
|---|---|---|
| 3:45 AM–4:15 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 4:15 AM–4:45 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 4:45 AM–5:15 AM CT | NO | Clear |
| 5:15 AM–5:45 AM CT | not dark yet | — |
| 5:45 AM–6:15 AM CT | not dark yet | — |
Why this verdict
- Aurora reach
- Aurora activity is not expected to reach Illinois tonight.
- Clouds
- Clear
- Darkness
- —
- Moon
- —
- City glow
- Chicago’s dome covers a wide radius of northeastern Illinois. Rockford is better than the suburbs but still a city. Galena and the Mississippi palisades are the realistic in-state dark direction. Springfield and southern Illinois are much worse magnetically.
- Data live
- Live reading, not a full local guide.
What to do
- If you are in Chicago, use the Chicago page and leave the metro. If you are elsewhere in Illinois, go north and away from the Chicago glow — not south.
- Face north.
- Give your eyes 30–60 minutes in the dark.
- A phone camera may pick up a faint display before your eyes do.
Other points in Illinois
- GalenaNO
- SpringfieldNO
In this state
Northern Illinois can participate in strong storms. Central and southern Illinois are extreme-event only. Never use Springfield as the state headline.
Nearby
Local FAQ
Why isn’t this just the Chicago page?
Chicago searches are city intent. Illinois searches include the rest of the state. Tonight’s headline here uses northern Illinois (Rockford/Galena), not the Loop.
Southern Illinois tonight?
Treat it as a no unless the storm is extreme. The oval reaches northern Illinois first.
Better to go to Wisconsin?
Usually yes, if you can cross the border and get north of the Chicago–Milwaukee glow.