⚠️
Kp alert!
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Checking live space weather conditions.
📍 Your Location
Moon Phase
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Best Viewing
10 pm - 2 am
Local time, darkest sky
Eye Adaptation
15 minutes
No screens, no lights
🔔 Kp Alert Threshold
Alert when Kp reaches:
Kp 5
Alerts display in-page while Aurora Watch is open. Kp 5 = geomagnetic storm. Kp 3 = aurora possible at polar latitudes.
Where To Look
Set your location above for a personalised direction.
Current Activity
QuietActiveStorm
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Solar Wind Right Now
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☀️ What the Sun is Doing Right Now
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✓ Viewing Checklist
Tick each item off before and during your aurora hunt.
Get away from city lights. Drive at least 20-30 min from the nearest town. The darker the sky, the better.
Check the sky for clouds. Cloud cover kills aurora viewing. If it is overcast, aurora is invisible no matter how strong the activity.
Start your dark adaptation timer. Eyes need 15 min minimum. No phone screens, no headlights, no torches.
Face the right direction. Northern hemisphere: face north. Southern hemisphere: face south. Look low on the horizon.
Set up your camera. Tripod, manual focus to infinity, long exposure mode ready before you go out.
Check moon phase. A bright full moon washes out faint aurora. New moon = best conditions.
Dress for the cold. You will be outside for hours in the dark. Layer up, bring a thermos.
Keep Aurora Watch open. Conditions change every few minutes. Refresh to check the latest Kp and Bz.
Dark Adaptation Timer
15:00
Eyes not yet adapted
🌙 3-Day Night Forecast
Personalised for your latitude. Star rating = how good each night looks for aurora where you are.
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Space Weather Charts
Hover over any chart for exact values. Colour-coded tips explain what each reading means for aurora.
📊 Kp Forecast - Next 3 Days FORECAST
Kp 0-3 = quiet (green). Kp 4 = active (yellow). Kp 5+ = storm, aurora visible much further from the poles (red). The dashed line marks the storm threshold.
🌊 Solar Wind Speed - Last 24h LIVE
Below 500 km/s = normal. Above 500 km/s = fast, aurora more likely. Above 600 km/s = very fast, great for aurora. Yellow and red dashed lines mark these thresholds.
🧲 IMF Bz - Last 24h KEY CHART
This is the most important chart. When the line drops below zero, Earth's magnetic shield opens and aurora becomes likely. Below -10 nT = excellent. Above zero = shield closed.
💫 Proton Density - Last 24h LIVE
Below 5 p/cm3 = sparse, normal. Above 10 p/cm3 = dense. Higher density brightens any aurora that is already occurring.
👁 How to See the Aurora
Aurora can be seen from up to 1,000 km away glowing on the horizon. Your camera can capture it before your eyes can.
3 steps: 1) Get away from lights. 2) Wait 15 min for your eyes to adapt. 3) Look low on the horizon towards the nearest pole.
📷 Aurora Photography Settings
Select your device - we calculate the best settings from current aurora conditions.
Conditions: Checking...
Live Aurora Maps
Green/pink glow = aurora activity. Dark shading = nighttime. Orange dot = your location.
Awaiting data...
Northern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
Scientific Diagnostics
Data Source Registry
Primary source
Backup source (auto-used if primary fails)
Calculated / derived
| Metric | Primary | Backup 1 | Backup 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Wind Speed | SWPC plasma-1-day | RTSW rtsw_wind_1m | Geospace propagated-sw |
| IMF Bz | SWPC mag-1-day | RTSW rtsw_mag_1m | Geospace propagated-sw (bz) |
| Proton Density | SWPC plasma-1-day | RTSW rtsw_wind_1m | Geospace propagated-sw (density) |
| L1 Transit Time | Calculated from speed | n/a | n/a |
| Kp Index (live) | SWPC noaa-planetary-k-index | n/a | n/a |
| Kp Forecast | SWPC k-index-forecast | Geospace pred_est_kp_1h | SWPC k_index_1m + persistence model |
| Aurora Oval Map | SWPC OVATION Prime model | n/a | n/a |
All sources: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and NOAA Real-Time Solar Wind (RTSW) network. Data refreshes every 5 minutes. Backup sources are fetched automatically and silently when a primary endpoint returns no data.
Solar Wind Speed
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IMF Bz
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Proton Density
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L1 Transit Time
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Calculated
Derived from solar wind speed - formula: 1,500,000 km / speed (km/s) / 60 = minutesCALCULATED
Speed sourced from NOAA SWPC Plasma endpoint (same chain as Solar Wind Speed above)
📅 3-Day Kp - 3-Hour Blocks
📡 Global Station Indicators