Ten Websites and Apps to Track Aurora Activity Before and During Your Trip

Effective aurora photography depends on two distinct phases of monitoring: long-range planning in the weeks before a trip, and real-time tracking during the nights you are in the field. No single tool does both equally well. The resources below cover the full spectrum — from NOAA's authoritative geomagnetic data to crowdsourced sighting networks to mobile apps that push notifications the moment activity rises. Understanding what each tool is actually measuring, and what its limitations are, allows you to use them in combination rather than relying on any one source in isolation.

1. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (swpc.noaa.gov)

Best for: authoritative geomagnetic data, 3-day forecasts, 30-minute OVATION maps

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center is the primary source for geomagnetic data in the United States, and the underlying data source that most third-party apps and websites draw from. For aurora photographers, the most useful products on the SWPC site are the 30-minute aurora forecast — driven by the OVATION model, which uses real-time solar wind measurements from the DSCOVR satellite at the L1 Lagrange point — and the 3-day geomagnetic forecast, which provides Kp predictions across 3-hour intervals for near-term planning. The site also publishes the Aurora Viewline product, a map showing the estimated southernmost latitude from which the aurora may be visible on any given night, updated continuously. An experimental Aurora Dashboard aggregates the most relevant SWPC products into a single interface.

The SWPC site is dense and not designed for casual users, but for photographers who want to read the actual geomagnetic indices — Kp, planetary A-index, solar wind speed, Bz orientation — rather than a consumer-facing simplification of them, it is the most reliable primary source available. URL: swpc.noaa.gov

2. SpaceWeatherLive (spaceweatherlive.com)

Best for: real-time solar wind data, Bz monitoring, 27-day Kp outlook

SpaceWeatherLive is a European-based site that presents NOAA and other space weather data in a more accessible interface than the SWPC itself, while retaining the full depth of the underlying information. Its real-time data dashboard displays the current Kp index, solar wind speed, solar wind density, and — critically for aurora photographers — the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field. Bz orientation is one of the most time-sensitive variables in aurora forecasting: when Bz turns negative (southward), geomagnetic coupling with Earth's field increases and aurora activity typically rises within minutes to hours. Monitoring Bz in real time from the field gives photographers early warning of incoming substorms before Kp indexes catch up.

The site also provides a 27-day Kp outlook updated weekly by NOAA, which is useful for identifying potential windows of elevated activity driven by recurring coronal hole solar wind streams. A subscription tier removes ads and is one of the site's main funding mechanisms. URL: spaceweatherlive.com

3. SpaceWeather.com

Best for: daily solar news, CME tracking, aurora photography submitted by the community

SpaceWeather.com functions as a daily briefing on solar activity, maintained by science writer Tony Phillips. The site publishes updates on solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal hole positioning, and geomagnetic storm events, written at a level accessible to informed non-specialists. For aurora photographers, it is most useful as a contextual resource — understanding whether a recent spike in Kp was driven by a CME (typically producing a sharp, intense, short-duration storm) or a coronal hole high-speed stream (producing a more gradual, sustained elevation in activity) affects how you plan your shooting nights. The site also curates aurora and space weather photographs submitted by readers around the world, which serves as an informal real-time confirmation layer during active events. URL: spaceweather.com

4. University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Aurora Forecast (gi.alaska.edu)

Best for: Alaska-specific forecasts, regional 7-day outlook, cloud cover overlay

The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks publishes a regional aurora forecast specifically calibrated for Alaska and the surrounding high-latitude zone. The forecast is updated daily and provides a 7-day outlook with a simple activity level scale, cloud cover overlay for interior and coastal Alaska, and narrative context. For travelers specifically targeting Fairbanks, the Yukon, or northern Alaska, this is the most geographically relevant tool available — the institute is located beneath the auroral oval and has decades of observational data specific to this region informing its forecasts. The site also displays the classic auroral oval map that has been a reference point for aurora trackers for years. URL: gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast

5. Aurorasaurus (aurorasaurus.org)

Best for: crowdsourced real-time sightings, citizen science contribution, southern hemisphere tracking

Aurorasaurus is a NASA and National Science Foundation-supported citizen science project that collects real-time aurora sighting reports from users around the world via its website and mobile apps. What distinguishes Aurorasaurus from other tracking tools is that its viewline — the estimated equatorward boundary of aurora visibility — is generated dynamically from actual human sightings rather than purely from model predictions. When observers report seeing the aurora from a given location, the system adjusts its visibility estimates in real time, producing ground-truth data that corrects for model errors during active events. The platform covers both the aurora borealis and aurora australis, making it one of the few tools relevant to southern hemisphere photographers in Tasmania, New Zealand, or southern South America. It has also been used in peer-reviewed research to track rare aurora-related phenomena including STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement). URL: aurorasaurus.org

6. AuroraWatch UK (aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk)

Best for: UK and northern Europe alert system, magnetometer-based activity detection

AuroraWatch UK, operated by Lancaster University, uses a network of ground-based magnetometers across the United Kingdom to detect geomagnetic disturbances and issue aurora alerts at four color-coded levels: green (no activity), yellow (possible activity), amber (likely activity), and red (aurora activity highly likely). Because it is based on measured geomagnetic disturbance rather than model predictions, it provides a high-fidelity real-time signal that is particularly valuable for photographers positioned at mid-latitudes in the UK, Ireland, or northern continental Europe, where Kp thresholds for visibility are higher and alerts from high-latitude-optimized tools can be less reliable. Free alerts are available via email and social media. URL: aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk

7. Hello Aurora (hello-aurora.com) — iOS and Android

Best for: real-time alerts, community sighting reports with photos, substorm notifications

Hello Aurora is a mobile app with over 300,000 users that combines NOAA-sourced forecast data with a crowdsourced sighting layer where users post real-time photographs when aurora becomes visible. For photographers, the combination is practically useful: the data layer provides Kp, Bz, Bt, and solar wind parameters with plain-language explanations, while the community layer provides near-instantaneous confirmation that aurora is visually active in a given region. The app sends substorm notifications — alerts triggered when the system detects rapid intensification of aurora activity — which are more time-sensitive than standard Kp threshold alerts. A Pro tier adds advanced notification filtering by photo-only sightings, distance radius, intensity level, and Bz value, allowing photographers to tune alerts to their specific needs. Available for iOS and Android. URL: hello-aurora.com

8. My Aurora Forecast (jrustonapps.com) — iOS and Android

Best for: probability-based forecasts, OVATION aurora map, multi-week planning outlook

My Aurora Forecast, developed by jRustonApps, presents aurora probability data derived from the NOAA SWPC OVATION model in a clean, map-based interface. The app displays a color-coded global aurora probability map, a current Kp reading, and a location-specific probability estimate for seeing the aurora either overhead or on the horizon. The horizon visibility distinction is useful for mid-latitude photographers who may see the aurora low in the sky during elevated Kp events rather than overhead. The app also provides an extended forecast outlook spanning several weeks, which — while acknowledged to have limited precision at that range — is useful for identifying potential activity windows tied to recurring solar wind structures. Solar wind statistics, live webcam feeds from aurora locations, and push notifications are included at no cost. Available for iOS and Android. URL: jrustonapps.com

9. Space.com Aurora Forecast

Best for: narrative daily briefings, accessible storm context, mid-latitude event coverage

Space.com maintains a live aurora forecast page that publishes daily written updates on geomagnetic conditions, upcoming solar events, and aurora visibility prospects. The coverage is narrative in format, synthesizing NOAA data and space weather reports into plain-language summaries that provide context around why activity is elevated or subdued on any given night — whether a CME has arrived, whether a coronal hole stream is driving sustained activity, or whether quiet solar wind conditions make significant aurora unlikely. During major storm events, the page updates multiple times per day. For photographers who want to understand the story behind the numbers rather than monitor raw indices directly, Space.com provides a useful middle layer between the NOAA data and consumer apps. URL: space.com/aurora-forecast

10. AuroraReach (aurorareach.com)

Best for: local visibility scoring with weather integration, city-specific planning

AuroraReach takes a different approach from most aurora tracking tools by combining geomagnetic activity data with local weather conditions — cloud cover, visibility, and time of day — to generate a composite aurora visibility score for specific cities. Rather than presenting raw Kp data and leaving the weather assessment to the user, AuroraReach produces a single integrated score indicating whether conditions as a whole are favorable for aurora viewing from a given location. Forecasts extend up to four days. For photographers at a fixed location who want a quick situational assessment that accounts for sky clarity as well as geomagnetic activity, this tool reduces the workflow of cross-referencing separate aurora and weather services. URL: aurorareach.com

How to use these tools together

For trip planning in the weeks before departure, the NOAA SWPC 3-day forecast, SpaceWeatherLive's 27-day Kp outlook, and the UAF Geophysical Institute regional forecast provide the most relevant long-range signals. These tools can indicate whether a coronal hole is expected to become geoeffective during your travel window, or whether general solar activity is elevated enough to expect above-average aurora frequency.

In the nights leading up to and during a shoot, the workflow shifts to shorter time horizons. SpaceWeatherLive's real-time Bz display and the NOAA 30-minute OVATION map are the most time-sensitive data sources for monitoring developing conditions. Hello Aurora or My Aurora Forecast provide push notification capability so you are not monitoring screens continuously during long exposure sessions. Aurorasaurus adds a ground-truth confirmation layer — when photographers in your region start posting sightings, activity is confirmed without relying solely on model outputs. AuroraWatch UK serves the same role for European destinations.

Weather remains a variable none of these tools fully address. Cloud cover is the most common reason aurora sightings fail on otherwise active nights. AuroraReach integrates weather into its scoring, but most aurora photographers also run a separate cloud cover service alongside their geomagnetic tracking — satellite cloud imagery or a dedicated clear-sky chart tool — to identify shooting windows within an active storm period.

For a deeper look at the geomagnetic science underlying these tools — including what Kp, Bz, and the OVATION model actually measure — see our guide on how the equinox affects aurora activity. For timing your trip to Alaska around the most productive viewing windows, see our overview of the best seasons to see the northern lights.