How to Read Aurora Forecast in an Easy Way!

If you are finding your way to know how the aurora forecast work, you are in the right place. Reading aurora forecast is overwhelming for those who have no scientific background or those who are not familiar with the term. Don’t worry about it anymore let’s start to learn about how to read the aurora forecast step by step with hello aurora the Northern Lights application! We will teach you everything you need to know when it comes to aurora hunting in an easily understandable way! 👩‍🏫

Step 1: Download the aurora borealis application

Firstly, get the free aurora app that will help you understand the Northern Lights easier. Hello aurora app is available free for both Android and iOS.

Why hello aurora? 

This aurora borealis app doesn’t only give you the aurora forecast, it includes everything you need when it comes to Northern Lights hunting, whether it’s the real-time data, aurora location, cloud coverage, weather forecast, aurora alert or more. This app has everything for you plus It comes with a simple design and allows you to connect with other aurora hunters that will make aurora hunting even more fun!

Step 2: What is the aurora forecast?

Once arrived at the home screen you will see the current aurora forecast. You can press on each block and it will give you a short explanation that will help you understand it better.

Aurora Strength

💡 Our Aurora Strength is calculated based on magnetometers located in multiple locations around the North Pole.

👁 For you to see the aurora, you will need this value to be negative. The more the number goes down the more chance you will see brights Northern Lights. In addition, you can also see the percentage of the possibility to see aurora on the icon beside it.

IMF Direction, Bz value

💡 It is the substance ejected by the sun, and it’s called Interplanetary Magnetic Field or IMF. The IMF enters either from the North or South magnetic pole of the Earth.

👁 To see aurora you need the Bz direction to be negatives (southward). The negatives Bz means the particles have been pushed toward the earth and creating the glowing light which we see as aurora. You are still able to see aurora when the Bz is not negative or around the 0nT, but it will be a less show.

👉You can use the emoji in the information overlay as a guideline.

IMF Strength, Bt Value

💡 Like above it is the substance ejected by the sun called IMF. It arrives with a certain strength on Earth.

👁 To see bright Northern Lights you need the strength (Bt) to go be positive. The stronger it gets, the more intense you will be able to see the aurora.

👉You can use the emoji in the information overlay as a guideline.

Solar Wind

💡The solar wind is the stream of energetic particles that flow outward from the sun.

👁 The faster it gets the stronger aurora you will see.

Cloud coverage.

💡 It refers to when the sky gets covered by clouds.

👁 The clearer the sky is the more likely you will see the aurora and get a clear picture of it.

👉 The best tip is to find the gap in the sky. You can toggle the different levels of cloud on the app we have high cloud, middle cloud, and low cloud. The low cloud is your worst enemy to see the aurora.

Step 3: Aurora forecast today

On the home page of the app, you will get the real-time aurora forecast. By sliding to the “today” page you will get the Northern Lights forecast for today. There you will see the KP index, the last sun rotation, weather forecast along with the sun and moon forecast.

On the first block there, you will see the last sun rotation from the previous 27 days. Best to use it as a guide along with the real-time data 😊

If you want to check the forecast for the next days you can slide to the tomorrow, next day and long-term page. Please note that it takes any solar event 3 days to reach the earth and the forecast can change anytime. You might see a good prediction for the next day right now but it may change anytime, best to recheck again 💚

That is pretty much what you need to know to read the aurora forecast in an easy way. If you don’t remember all these details don’t worry you are not the only one 🙃 You can always see all explanations on the app, it’s short and very easy to read.

If you want to learn more about aurora, we recommend taking a look at the ebook called The Aurora Chase, the Ultimate Guide to Experience the Light by Adrien Mauduit.

Feel free to shoutout to us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you have questions or need more explanation!