Quiet aurora — confined to about 64°N and above

It depends on three things: the current Kp index, how far north (or south) you are in magnetic latitude, and whether your sky is clear and dark. Search your city above to see tonight's Kp needed for your location, the live aurora oval, and your viewing probability.

Enter your town in the location search on this page. We compare NOAA's live OVATION aurora model and Kp forecast with your latitude, then show whether the northern lights are likely overhead, on your northern horizon, or out of reach tonight.

Activity usually peaks within an hour or two of local magnetic midnight, roughly 10 PM to 2 AM local time. Watch from full darkness (after astronomical twilight) and stay out for at least an hour, because the aurora comes and goes in bursts.

Near the Arctic Circle, Kp 1–3 is often enough. Southern Canada and the northern US tier typically need Kp 5 (a G1 storm), and mid-latitude states need Kp 7 or higher. The visibility line on our map shows the southern edge for the current Kp.

The solar wind and coronal mass ejections from the Sun disturb Earth's magnetic field, which drives charged particles into the upper atmosphere. They collide with oxygen (green and red light) and nitrogen (blue and purple light), making the sky glow.

Auroral activity typically peaks around local magnetic midnight, between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM local time. Optimum viewing requires true astronomical darkness (after twilight ends) with clear skies facing north. Check our live planetary Kp index and auroral oval map to see if activity is currently surging.

The most active viewing window occurs between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM local time. However, sudden substorms can ignite auroral curtains earlier in the evening or persist into the pre-dawn hours whenever the solar wind magnetic field (Bz) points strongly southward.

Look for an open location with an unobstructed view of the northern horizon, far away from city streetlights. Locations rated Bortle Class 1 to 3 offer the highest contrast. Use our interactive Dark Sky Map (/interactive-maps/dark-sky) to locate dark sky parks and low light pollution viewing spots near you.

Yes, major geomagnetic storms triggered by Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) often persist over 24 to 48 hours as Earth passes through the interplanetary plasma cloud. Check the live Kp gauge on this page: if the index remains elevated at Kp 5 or above, active aurora displays may continue for a second consecutive night.

Visibility depends on your geomagnetic latitude and the current Kp index. At Kp 5 (G1 storm), northern US states and southern Canada can see the aurora. At Kp 7 (G3 storm), the aurora line drops into mid-latitude states like Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Check our real-time visibility line above to see if your town is within tonight's view line.