Aurora Tracker · Live Kp Forecast
Live NOAA Kp versus your city, plus darkness and the oval map.
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Clouds and light pollution not included
Live Kp, solar wind, and IMF data updated about every 15 minutes
The Kp index measures geomagnetic activity on a scale of 0-9.
Kp index predictions from NOAA
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Kp index over the past 24 hours
The Kp you need depends on magnetic latitude, not map latitude. The highlighted row is your selected city.
| Kp Index | Magnetic Lat. | Example Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Kp 0–1 | 64.5°+ | Fairbanks, Yellowknife, Tromsø, Reykjavik |
| Kp 2 | 62.4–64.5° | Rovaniemi, Trondheim |
| Kp 3 | 60.4–62.4° | Anchorage, Juneau |
| Kp 4 | 58.3–60.4° | Edmonton, Oslo, Inverness |
| Kp 5 | 56.3–58.3° | Calgary, Winnipeg, Glasgow, Stockholm, Helsinki |
| Kp 6 | 54.2–56.3° | Vancouver, Montreal, Copenhagen, Hobart |
| Kp 7 | 52.2–54.2° | Seattle, Minneapolis, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Dunedin |
| Kp 8 | 50.1–52.2° | Chicago, Boston, Portland, Paris, Berlin, Moscow |
| Kp 9 | 48.1–50.1° | New York, Munich, Prague, Melbourne |
| Extreme only | below 48.1° | Denver, Washington DC, San Francisco, Rome, Madrid, Tokyo |
Magnetic latitude is measured from the geomagnetic pole over northwest Greenland, so North America sees aurora at lower Kp than Europe or Asia at the same map latitude. Thresholds follow NOAA SWPC's overhead-aurora table; a strong display is often visible low on the horizon one Kp step earlier.
Aurora frequency follows the 11-year solar cycle
Solar Cycle 25 reached its smoothed maximum in October 2024. Activity is still elevated in 2026, so strong storms remain more likely than they will be later this decade.
During and after solar maximum, the sun produces more flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Those can still trigger bright aurora on the declining phase.
Watch Kp and Bz on this page rather than waiting for the next maximum around 2035. Mid-latitude Kp 6–7 events remain possible over the next few years.
Aurora is an aperture game: f/1.8 gathers nearly five times the light of f/4, so shutters can stay short enough to freeze curtains.
See lens picksAurora exposures run from about 1 second in a storm to 25 seconds when it is faint. A locked-off tripod is required.
View on AmazonA remote or intervalometer fires the shutter without touching the camera, which matters on long faint-aurora frames.
View on AmazonAdapt your camera settings based on how active the aurora is
Barely visible to naked eye, often appears as a gray-green glow on the horizon. Camera will capture more than you can see.
Tip: Use longer exposures to pull out color. Stars will trail slightly — that's okay.
Clearly visible green bands or curtains. May show movement. This is the "sweet spot" for photography.
Tip: Balance exposure time with movement — shorter exposures preserve structure in moving curtains.
Vivid, fast-moving curtains and bands. Multiple colors visible (green, purple, red). Rapidly changing shapes.
Tip: Go faster! Long exposures will blur the beautiful structure. Capture the movement.
Explosive activity! Corona overhead, rays shooting in all directions. Rare and spectacular — shoot fast!
Tip: Point straight up for corona shots! Use your widest lens. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Kp index, visibility, camera settings, and when to chase
It depends on your magnetic latitude and the current Kp index. Enter a city or use your location on this page. If tonight's Kp meets or exceeds the level in the visibility table for your location, and the sky is fully dark (sun about 12° or more below the horizon), aurora is possible. Cloud cover and light pollution still matter.
The Kp index measures global geomagnetic activity on a scale from 0 to 9. Higher Kp means a stronger storm and aurora visibility farther from the poles. NOAA treats Kp 0–4 as quiet through active, Kp 5 as a minor (G1) storm, and Kp 8–9 as severe to extreme (G4–G5).
It depends on magnetic latitude, not map latitude. Fairbanks, Yellowknife, Tromsø, and Reykjavik see aurora at Kp 0–2. Edmonton, Oslo, and Scotland need about Kp 4–5. Vancouver, Montreal, Seattle, and London need Kp 6–7. Chicago, Boston, Paris, and Berlin need about Kp 8, New York Kp 9, and cities farther south only see aurora in extreme storms. Use the visibility table on this page for more examples.
Start with a fast wide lens at f/1.4–f/2.8, ISO 1600–6400, and 5–15 second exposures on a tripod. Bright, fast aurora needs shorter shutters (1–8 sec) so curtains stay sharp. Shoot RAW, focus manually on a bright star, and see Settings by Aurora Intensity on this page for Kp-based recipes.
In the Northern Hemisphere, look north toward the horizon unless activity is strong enough for corona overhead. Dark skies away from city light matter more than exact compass bearing. Clear northern views from a hill or shoreline help.
A fully dark sky is required, so winter nights at high latitudes are best. Peak hours are often 10pm–2am local time. Activity follows the 11-year solar cycle. Solar Cycle 25 peaked in late 2024; conditions stay elevated through 2026, which keeps the odds of strong storms higher than in solar minimum.
Bz is the north–south component of the interplanetary magnetic field. A sustained southward Bz (negative) couples solar wind energy into Earth’s magnetosphere and often precedes brighter aurora. High wind speed plus southward Bz is a strong chase signal.
Data provided by NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
