Aurora Chaser

Space weather forecasts

Aurora forecasts and alerts

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre watches the Sun around the clock and issues aurora outlooks, watches and alerts for Australia. Here’s where to find them and how to use them.

Open the BoM aurora page Subscribe to alerts

Outlooks, watches and alerts

The Bureau issues three kinds of aurora notice, from a week ahead down to “it’s happening now”.

Aurora Outlook: 3 to 7 days ahead
Issued when large active regions on the Sun are expected to rotate into a position where their eruptions could affect Earth. What to do: note the dates and keep an eye on the forecast.
Aurora Watch: up to 48 hours ahead
Issued after a significant coronal mass ejection, or when fast solar wind from a coronal hole is likely to disturb Earth’s magnetic field. What to do: plan a trip to a dark spot and check the cloud forecast.
Aurora Alert: happening now
Issued when space weather activity favourable for seeing the aurora is in progress, with a range of latitudes where it may be visible. What to do: if the sky is clear, head out now.

Bureau of Meteorology pages to bookmark

All from the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre at sws.bom.gov.au.

  • Aurora australis

    Current aurora alerts, watches and outlooks, with the latest geomagnetic activity for the Australian region.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora

  • Geomagnetic indices

    Three days of Kp and the Australian-region K index (Kaus), with a guide to what each level means for seeing the aurora.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora/1/1

  • Auroral oval forecast

    The predicted position of the southern auroral oval, to see how far north it could reach.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora/3/1

  • Cloud cover

    Clear skies matter as much as space weather. Check the cloud before you drive anywhere.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora/6/1

  • Space weather forecast

    The detailed forecast for the coming days, covering solar activity, the solar wind and geomagnetic conditions.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Space_Weather/1/1

  • Solar wind speed

    Real-time solar wind measurements. Fast wind, especially with a southward magnetic field, drives stronger aurora.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Solar/1/4

  • Alert subscriptions

    Sign up to receive aurora alerts, watches and outlooks by email.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Products_and_Services/4/1

  • Aurora education and photos

    The Bureau’s own introduction to the aurora, with a photo gallery from around Australia.

    sws.bom.gov.au/Educational/1/1

  • Space Weather API

    For developers: K-index, Dst and aurora notices as JSON. Free, but you need to register for an API key.

    sws-data.sws.bom.gov.au

What the K-index means for Australia

The Bureau’s rule of thumb for where the aurora may be visible at each level of activity, from its geomagnetic indices page.

K-index Activity Aurora may be visible from
3 Unsettled Southern Tasmania See on map
4 Active All of Tasmania See on map
5 Minor storm The Victorian coast See on map
6 Major storm The south-west coast of Western Australia See on map
7–9 Severe storm Southern NSW, southern Queensland and, in the most extreme storms, further north See on map

On the night

A forecast storm is only half of it. Run through this before you set off.

  1. Check for an Aurora Alert or Watch In Tasmania K4–5 is worth heading out for. Southern Victoria needs about K5, and most of the mainland needs K6–7 or more. Use the map for your area.
  2. Check the clouds Even a strong storm is invisible through cloud. Look at satellite images, not just the forecast.
  3. Check the Moon A bright Moon washes out faint aurora. Nights around the new moon are best, though strong displays shine through.
  4. Get dark, face south Get well away from city lights to a spot with a clear, low view to the south, such as a south-facing beach or headland. See where to go.
  5. Be patient around midnight The aurora tends to reach furthest north in the hours around local midnight, but substorms can flare up at any time of night and fade within minutes. Give it time.
  6. Let your eyes adapt, and take a test photo Allow 20 minutes in the dark without looking at a bright screen. Try a phone night-mode shot or a few seconds’ exposure on a tripod. A camera often shows colour before your eyes do.
  7. Stay safe Take warm clothes and a torch (red light keeps your night vision), and take care on cliffs, rocks and country roads.

Other useful sources

The US Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA) publishes real-time data from spacecraft between the Earth and the Sun.