The auroral oval sits over the magnetic pole — it swells toward you as Kp climbs.
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Aurora reach
We read the live Kp index from NOAA and map it to your geomagnetic latitude — how far the auroral oval is actually reaching toward you.
Northern Lights Tonight — Live Aurora Forecast
Can you see the aurora tonight? Live forecast for Tromsø, Reykjavík, Fairbanks and anywhere on Earth — darkness, cloud and moon included.
Live forecast
Reading the sky above you…
Checking the auroral oval, your darkness window and the clouds.
Live space weather
What’s driving the aurora right now
The auroral oval straight from NOAA’s OVATION model, and the solar-wind conditions — led by the magnetic field’s Bz — that decide how far south tonight’s lights reach.
Auroral oval · live
NOAA OVATION nowcast · valid 14:24 UTC
LowerHigher chancePeak 14%
Solar wind · live
+1.0nT
Bz
Bz
Northward — aurora suppressed for now
- Total field
- 6.0 nT
- Wind speed
- 416 km/s
- Density
- 2.0 p/cm³
- Stream
- Ambient
Bz is the magnetic field’s north–south tilt — when it points south, the aurora flares up an hour or two before the Kp index catches up. Source: NOAA real-time solar wind at the L1 point.
Plan the trip
Turn a good forecast into a great night
The lights are free — getting to a clear, dark sky is the hard part. These are the tools chasers actually use.
Solar maximum — the strongest aurora years in a decade, through 2026–27
Advertising disclosure
Some links below are paid affiliate links. If you book a tour, reserve a stay or buy gear through them, we may earn a commission — it never costs you anything extra and helps keep the forecast free.
- GetYourGuide
Aurora chasing tours
Guided minibus & boat tours worldwide that drive you to the clearest, darkest skies on the night.
from ~€65 pp
See tonight's toursDates pre-filled for tonight
- Hotellook
Glass igloos & aurora cabins
Heated glass-roof rooms across Lapland, Iceland and the Arctic — watch the lights from bed.
from ~€180 / night
Find stays - Discover Cars
Rent a car to chase clear skies
Self-drive away from town glow to the dark-sky spots. Compare every local supplier in one place.
from ~€40 / day
Compare cars - SafetyWing
Cover the trip
Aurora trips are remote, cold and weather-dependent — travel medical cover from a few dollars a day.
from ~$1.50 / day
Get covered
How the answer is built
Four things have to line up
A high Kp index alone doesn’t mean you’ll see anything. We check all four gates so the verdict matches what you’d actually see if you stepped outside.
Darkness
Aurora only shows in a dark sky. We compute the sun’s position, so a strong storm in daylight — or under the midnight sun — never gives a false yes.
Clouds
Even a brilliant display is invisible through cloud. We fold in current cloud cover for your exact spot, the way a weather-visibility forecast would.
Moon
A bright moon washes out faint aurora — but only when it’s actually above the horizon. We check the moon’s phase and altitude, so a full moon below the horizon never counts against you.
When to go
The aurora year, month by month
Visibility swings with darkness, not just the Sun. This is the northern-hemisphere season at a glance — greener months have the long, dark nights that make the lights easy to catch.
Where it’s reliable
Chase it where the oval lives
Aurora borealisKp 1+Tromsø
NorwayThe capital of the Arctic aurora
Aurora borealisKp 1+Abisko
SwedenA microclimate built for clear skies
Aurora borealisKp 1+Reykjavík
IcelandAurora and waterfalls in one trip
Aurora borealisKp 2+Rovaniemi
FinlandGlass igloos at the Arctic Circle
Aurora borealisKp 1+Fairbanks
USA (Alaska)North America's aurora capital
Aurora borealisKp 1+Yellowknife
CanadaStatistically the best in Canada
Gear guide
Stay warm enough to wait it out
The people who see the most aurora are simply the ones who dressed to stand still in the cold — and brought a camera that could catch it. Here’s the short list, plus how to photograph the northern lights and all our aurora guides.
Never miss a night
Get an alert when the sky is worth it
Skip the daily doom-scrolling of Kp numbers. Tell us your location and we’ll email you only on the nights the aurora is actually forecast to reach you.
Good to know
Questions, answered
How does this forecast actually work?
We combine four things in real time: the planetary Kp index from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (how far the auroral oval reaches toward you), whether the sky is dark enough at your location right now, current cloud cover, and how much a bright moon would wash out a faint display. The aurora can be 'active' yet invisible because it's daylight, overcast or moonlit — so all four have to line up.
What is the Kp index?
Kp is a 0–9 scale of global geomagnetic activity. The higher it climbs, the further from the poles the aurora becomes visible. Directly under the oval (Tromsø, Fairbanks) you need almost nothing — Kp 0–2 on a clear, dark night; seeing it from mid-latitudes needs a Kp 6+ storm.
Why does it say 'not visible' when the Kp is high?
Two common reasons. In summer at far-northern latitudes the sky never gets dark enough (the midnight sun), so even a strong storm is invisible. And thick cloud simply blocks the view. We factor both in rather than only showing the space-weather number.
What's the best time of year and night to see the aurora?
Roughly September to March in the north (March to September in the south), during the dark hours around local midnight. You need clear skies and as little light pollution as possible — get away from town lights and let your eyes adjust for 15–20 minutes.
Do I need a tour, or can I see it on my own?
Under the oval you can often see it from anywhere dark. But guided 'chasing' tours exist because they drive you to wherever the sky is clear that night — which dramatically raises your odds on a short trip. A rental car achieves the same if you're comfortable navigating winter roads.
Will my phone camera capture it?
Modern phones in night mode can capture faint aurora the eye barely registers. For sharper results, a camera with manual mode, a fast wide lens and a tripod for multi-second exposures makes a big difference — see our gear guide.