Aurora Forecast Tonight
Live Kp index from NOAA with 3-day forecast. See where auroras will be visible tonight based on geomagnetic activity.
Visibility threshold: 58.3° latitude · Green pins = aurora visible tonight
3-Day Kp Forecast
Visible From Tonight
Threshold: 58.3° geomagnetic latitude and north
How to See the Aurora
Find Dark Skies
Get far from city lights. A new moon night helps — check our Moon Calendar.
Best Time: 10 PM - 2 AM
Aurora activity typically peaks late evening to early morning, local time.
Look North
Face the northern horizon. The higher the Kp, the higher in the sky auroras appear.
Be Patient
Let your eyes adjust to darkness for 20+ minutes. Auroras can appear and fade over minutes.
Kp Scale & Visibility
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Solar Storm Status
Live NOAA Kp, solar wind, and G-scale forecast — see the storm before it arrives.
Check statusHow the Aurora Happens
Start with the Sun. It throws charged particles into space constantly — electrons and protons moving at about 400 km/s on a quiet day, over 1000 km/s during flares. This is solar wind.
Earth's magnetic field catches those particles. Most get deflected, swept around the planet like water around a stone. But some slip through at the poles, where the field lines dive into the ground, and accelerate down toward the upper atmosphere.
They hit oxygen and nitrogen atoms roughly 100 km up. The collision excites the atoms; they release photons to shed the energy. Oxygen glows green between 100-300 km, red higher up. Nitrogen provides the blue and purple fringes. What you see is atmospheric atoms relaxing after being punched by solar wind.
The G-Scale Explained
NOAA uses the G-scale (G1-G5) to classify geomagnetic storms. Each level maps to a Kp value and a set of real-world effects.
G1 (Kp 5) — Minor storm. Aurora visible to Minnesota, Michigan, northern Maine. Migrating animals can get slightly confused. Power grid weakly impacted in high latitudes.
G2 (Kp 6) — Moderate. Aurora reaches New York, Idaho, Oregon. HF radio fading at high latitudes, some spacecraft drag increase, birds mildly disoriented.
G3 (Kp 7) — Strong. Aurora seen from Illinois, Pennsylvania, northern California. GPS accuracy degrades. HF radio intermittent. Voltage corrections needed by grid operators.
G4 (Kp 8) — Severe. Aurora visible from Alabama, central California, southern France and Germany. HF radio sporadic. GPS degradation for hours. Voltage control problems possible across regions.
G5 (Kp 9) — Extreme. Aurora down to Texas, Mexico, southern Europe. HF radio blackouts for 1-2 days. GPS unreliable. Power grids at risk of collapse — the 1989 Quebec blackout was a G5. Very rare; roughly 4 per 11-year solar cycle.
Photographing the Aurora
You don't need a fancy camera anymore. Recent phones — iPhone 12 and up, most Pixels and Samsungs — have night mode that handles aurora well. Set a 10-30 second exposure, ISO 800-3200, focus at infinity, and the camera does the rest. A tripod helps; leaning against a fence works in a pinch.
Dedicated cameras get you further. Wide-angle lens (14-24mm), aperture f/2.8 or wider, ISO 1600-6400, exposure 5-20 seconds depending on aurora motion. Faster-moving aurora needs shorter exposures or you blur the curtains together. Manual focus — autofocus hunts in the dark.
Battery warning: cold drains them fast. Keep spares against your body inside a jacket. At -20°C a fresh battery might last 30 minutes instead of several hours.
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Track the Moon
Live lunar phase, illumination, and the 2026-2027 full moon calendar.
Open calendarCommon Questions
Can I really see auroras from the continental US?
Yes, during G3 storms or stronger. The May 2024 G5 event made aurora visible as far south as Florida and Mexico — the biggest event in 20 years. During an average solar cycle, anywhere north of 45° latitude (Portland, Chicago, Boston) gets a few visible nights per year.
What Kp value do I need tonight?
Depends where you live. Minnesota and northern Maine can see faint aurora at Kp 4. Virginia and Kentucky need Kp 7+. Los Angeles and Miami need Kp 9 — which happens maybe 4-8 nights per solar cycle.
Why is the aurora forecast so uncertain?
Space weather models predict storm arrival within a 3-6 hour window, but the exact timing depends on how a solar flare is tilted when it hits Earth. Whether the magnetic field points north or south at the moment of impact is what really matters — and we can only measure that about an hour ahead, from a satellite stationed between Earth and Sun.
What's the difference between aurora borealis and aurora australis?
Nothing physical — same phenomenon, both poles, often happening simultaneously. Northern lights (borealis) get more attention because most aurora-visible land is in the northern hemisphere. The southern equivalent (australis) is mostly over ocean and Antarctica, so it gets watched from New Zealand, Tasmania, and southern Chile.
Does a full moon ruin aurora viewing?
It doesn't ruin it, but it washes out the faint pillars and dim edges. New moon sky is the gold standard. For a bright G3 storm, the full moon barely matters. For a weak Kp 4 night, it'll cut what you see in half.
Do auroras make sound?
Witnesses have reported clicking, hissing, and crackling sounds during strong aurora for centuries. A 2016 Finnish study finally caught them on recording — soft crackling at about 70 m altitude, thought to come from electrical discharges in cold air layers. Most nights are silent. But the old reports aren't imaginary.
Track Kp Index in Real-Time
Our live dashboard shows Kp index updates every 3 hours alongside Schumann resonance and solar wind.
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