Behind the Aurora

What is aurora?

The aurora occurs when solar wind particles collide with atoms in the Earth's magnetosphere. This interaction excites the electrons within the atoms, causing them to move to higher energy levels. As the electrons return to their lower energy states, they release energy in the form of light, creating the stunning displays in the sky known as the aurora borealis.

How to see the Northern Lights? 

Being within the aurora zone significantly increases your chances of witnessing the Northern Lights. However, without the right tools and a solid understanding of how to track them, the experience can be frustratingm especially if you only spend a few days in the Arctic countries.

Several factors must align to maximize your chances of seeing the aurora. By considering each of these elements together, you can optimize your “chasing night” and increase the likelihood of witnessing this breathtaking natural phenomenon.

The Hello Aurora app is built on years of firsthand experience chasing the Northern Lights. We understand the frustration of missing this spectacular phenomenon and have designed the app to take that stress off your hands.

With Hello Aurora, you get real-time aurora forecasts, a crucial metric for planning your viewing. The app also provides easy-to-understand explanations of aurora activity, along with alerts that notify you whenever the lights are visible, ensuring you never miss the opportunity to witness this breathtaking display.

Important metrics for northern lights forecast

Let's look at the important metrics to check for Northern Lights hunting and why they are important.

Read this detailed article on how to read the aurora forecast and maximise you chance.

Aurora Strength

In 2020, we introduced Aurora Strength, a real-time metric derived from magnetometer data provided by multiple space agencies monitoring the North Pole. A magnetometer is a precision instrument that measures fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by auroral activity.

Tracking Aurora Strength is crucial because it allows you to anticipate when the Northern Lights are most likely to appear. For example:

When the measured value drops rapidly into the negative (~-150 nT), it indicates a substorm, meaning the aurora has a high chance of dancing across the sky. The lower the value, the stronger the auroral display, often corresponding to what are called magnetic storms.

Conversely, when the value rises significantly (~+150 nT), it signals that the aurora is “charging” and may release a display within minutes. If it returns to near average (~5 nT), the aurora is temporarily quiet until the next fluctuation.

By monitoring Aurora Strength, you gain a real-time understanding of auroral activity, allowing you to plan your viewing with precision and increasing the likelihood of witnessing a spectacular display.

Solar Wind

Just as you feel the wind more strongly when walking outside on a breezy day, the same principle applies to the solar wind. The faster the solar wind travels toward Earth, the more energy it transfers into the planet’s magnetic field. This increases the likelihood that the aurora will become brighter, more dynamic, and more visible in the night sky.

Monitoring solar wind speed is therefore an important factor for predicting when and where the Northern Lights will put on their most spectacular displays.

Interplanetary Magnetic Field

Planet Earth has two magnetic poles: north and south. To understand how the aurora forms, think of two magnets: when opposite poles are brought close together, they naturally attract. A similar process occurs in space when the north-south orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) points southward.

This orientation interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere, which is oriented northward. The resulting connection allows charged solar particles to penetrate the magnetosphere and collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper atmosphere. These collisions release energy in the form of light, creating the spectacular displays we know as the aurora.

Clouds forecast

The clouds coverage forecast will help you to find the best position to spot the Northern Lights. With it, you can locate and predict the cloud’s movement and your chance to see the Northern lights will be higher when the sky is clear. Cloud is the main enemy for Northern Lights hunter. No matter how strong the aurora is if the sky is fully covered by clouds you chance to see the aurora will decrease.

Weather alerts

The weather is an important factor to to look after especially in the Arctic where weather can be extreme. You don't want to go out chasing Northern Lights when there is storm alert in your area. Be careful, and drive safely, and stay home when the condition is too dangerous!

KP Index

The KP index is one of the most known data for aurora. Related to the disturbance in the Earth's Magnetic field, it expresses the scale of activity on a level from 0 to 9. The higher it gets, the more chance you will see the Northern Lights far from the center of the Pole. Even though KP index is a very popular data among aurora hunters, unfortunately, it has proven to be wrong many times as it only compounds the Northern Lights' strength for the next 3-6 hours (not real-time). KP Index is not the value you should be looking at when you are already in the aurora zone. Understand the real-time aurora forecast and know why you should not rely on KP Index.

Long-Term Aurora Forecast

Long-term aurora forecasts on Hello Aurora app empower you to plan your Northern Lights experience with confidence. They provide key metrics such as the KP index, the probability of visibility, and Aurora Strength derived from the most recent solar rotation.

While these forecasts give valuable guidance, aurora conditions can change quickly, just like the weather. To ensure you don’t miss a display, always verify real-time data on the day of your hunt, giving you the most precise, actionable information for a successful aurora chase.

How to find the Northern Lights?

You can find the aurora borealis in the high-altitude regions such as Iceland, Alaska, Canada, Norway and Finland and many great places that are located above 60° latitude. 

The best way to locate the Northern lights is to find where the cloud's coverage is clear, and the possibility to see them will be higher on that location. Besides the cloud coverage, another thing to have in mind when hunting is that you should be careful with light pollution.

Can you see the aurora in the city?

Many may have wondered if it’s possible to see the aurora in the city? Yes, our 2020 and 2021 aurora location reports pointed out that you can actually see the aurora in the city even the large city such as Stockholm so it's true that you can see the aurora even with high light pollution but it's always better to find a darker place for better vision!

And if you are already in the Northern Lights countries, turn on the notification on the Hello Aurora app and we will send you the notification when the aurora activity has increased or when someone already spotted the aurora so you will never miss the aurora again!

When can I see the Northern Lights?

Aurora is active all year but you will not be able to spot them during the summertime due to brightness especially in the Nordic country where they have almost 24 hours of daylight in the summer so winter is the ideal season. By winter, we meant from late August to the beginning of April. Thanks to the short sunlight hours, you might be able to spot the northern light starting from when the sun is completely set. 

What is Hello Aurora?

Hello Aurora is a Northern Lights forecast mobile app designed by solo indie developer for aurora enthusiasts looking to make Northern Lights hunting more fun and effortless. Available on both the App Store and Play Store, it is the ultimate companion for tracking the aurora. If predicting when and where the aurora will appear. Hello Aurora simplifies Northern Lights forecasting, making it easy to understand your best chances of seeing them at your current location.

In addition to real-time forecasts, Hello Aurora is also a vibrant community where 222 000 have used the app to see forecast, share and see photos and location of the aurora in real time. Whether you're a seasoned aurora hunter or a beginner, hello Aurora is made for everyone.

Share your location when you spot the aurora and view reports from others in your area. With real-time aurora alerts sent directly to your phone, you'll never miss a sighting again.

Packed with even more features, Hello Aurora is the perfect tool for your Northern Lights adventures.