Northern Lights Radar: Live Aurora Forecast by Location
The aurora radar in short
First check whether the auroral oval covers your latitude, then compare Kp, the direction of Bz and cloud cover. Even strong activity is not enough under full cloud cover, so it is worth basing the decision to go out on several indicators, not on a single number.
Northern Lights Locations & Live Forecasts
Pick a location below to check tonight’s aurora forecast, live radar, and the best nearby viewing spots.
Track real-time aurora activity and cloud cover for the best northern lights viewing spots, from Tromsø to Rovaniemi. Aurora visibility depends on three things: geomagnetic activity (Kp index), cloud cover, and darkness. Use the map below to check tonight’s conditions, then pick your location for a detailed local forecast. Planning North America? Compare Fairbanks, Yellowknife, Churchill, and Michigan and Minnesota before choosing a local forecast.
GUIDE
Fairbanks Northern Lights Live – Radar and Forecast
Live aurora radar for Fairbanks, Alaska, plus the Kp you actually need, four dark-sky spots with winter driving notes, and how many nights to plan.
Northern Lights – live radar and parameters
Parameters refresh automatically. The local aurora chance is calculated for your location (GPS or city).
Aurora oval radar – Northern Hemisphere
If the animation does not load, a static image will be shown.
Conditions assessment
The indicators consider your location, the local aurora chance and whether it is dark.
Aurora Score (Senja, beta): -/100
Kp (3h)
Kp (1 min)
Bz (GSM)
Bt (IMF)
Speed
Density
Temperature
Best places to see the aurora tonight
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| Location | Geomagnetic latitude | Minimum Kp | Typical nights/season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Svalbard | 75.2° | 0 | 150+ |
| Tromsø | 67.1° | 0 | 120-150 |
| Senja | 66.6° | 0 | 110-140 |
| Abisko | 65.7° | 1 | 100-130 |
| Lofoten | 65.8° | 1 | 90-120 |
| Rovaniemi | 63.8° | 2 | 70-100 |
| Fairbanks, Alaska | 65.6° | 0 | — |
| Yellowknife | 69.0° | 0 | — |
| Churchill | 68.0° | 0 | — |
| Greenland (Ilulissat) | 79.0° | 0 | — |
| Scotland (Cairngorms) | 59.5° | 3 | — |
| Michigan & Minnesota | 57.5–58.5° | 3 | — |
Method: minimum Kp per location is based on the NOAA/SWPC aurora viewline table matched to each location’s geomagnetic latitude (IGRF ~2025). A dynamic daily ranking is planned for a future update.
Choose your location
Every location below has its own live radar, local Kp threshold and dark-sky notes. Pick the one you are travelling to and check tonight’s conditions there.
ARCTIC EUROPE
Kp 0 · no car needed
Tromsø
Easiest access, lowest Kp threshold, but no aurora-over-water composition.
Check Tromsø radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Kp 1 · mountains and sea
Lofoten
Aurora over mountains and water, a composition Tromsø cannot offer.
Check Lofoten radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Kp 0 · quiet alternative
Senja
A quieter escape route between Tromsø and Lofoten when either coast clouds over.
Check Senja radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Kp 1 · driest microclimate
Abisko
Sweden’s blue hole: an inland microclimate with unusually clear skies.
Check Abisko radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Kp 0 · polar night
Svalbard
24-hour polar night and the lowest Kp threshold of any location here.
Check Svalbard radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Kp 2 · family friendly
Rovaniemi
A higher Kp threshold, but glass igloos and family infrastructure.
Check Rovaniemi radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Self-drive country
Iceland
Best for a DIY road trip, with dark sky away from Reykjavík light pollution.
Check Iceland radar
ARCTIC EUROPE
Norway coastline
Northern Lights in Norway Live Radar
In northern Norway, Kp is a useful context number rather than a pass-or-fail rule. Tromsø, Lofoten and Senja sit far enough north that weak activity…
Check radar
WESTERN EUROPE
high-Kp events only
Northern Lights in the UK — Live Radar and Forecast
Live status and forecast for aurora sightings across the UK, plus the institutional sources worth checking on active nights.
Check radar
NORTH AMERICA
Kp 0 · Fairbanks, AK
Fairbanks Northern Lights Live – Radar and Forecast
Based on NOAA space weather data and Fairbanks’ distance from the aurora oval, here is the threshold that actually matters for your evening.
Check radar
NORTH AMERICA
Kp 0 · Yellowknife
Yellowknife Northern Lights Live – Radar and Forecast
The aurora is regularly visible from inside Yellowknife itself – the city is small and the oval sits overhead – but driving 20 to 30 minutes out…
Check radar
NORTH AMERICA
Kp 0 · Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill Northern Lights Live – Radar and Forecast
Check radar
UK & SCOTLAND
Kp 3 · Cairngorms
Scotland Northern Lights Live – Cairngorms Radar and Forecast
The general rule in Scotland: get high, get a clear view north, and get away from town lighting. Inverness makes a practical base – Dava Moor, the…
Check radar
ARCTIC
Kp 0 · Ilulissat, Greenland
Greenland Northern Lights Live – Radar and Forecast
These are Greenland’s two main aurora bases and they are not interchangeable. The honest split: Kangerlussuaq wins on weather, Ilulissat wins on…
Check radar
NORTH AMERICA
Kp 3 · Michigan & Minnesota
Michigan and Minnesota Northern Lights Live – Radar and Forecast
This is the single most useful table on the page, because the difference between the north and south of this region is enormous – far bigger than…
Check radarARCTIC EUROPE
All regions
Norway (all regions)
A regional overview if you have not picked a single Norwegian base yet.
Check Norway radarNORTH AMERICA
Interior Alaska
Fairbanks
Live aurora radar for Fairbanks, Alaska, plus the Kp you actually need, four dark-sky spots with winter driving notes, and how many nights to plan.
Check Fairbanks radarNORTH AMERICA
Subarctic Canada
Yellowknife
Live aurora radar for Yellowknife plus the Kp you need, four dark-sky spots including one walkable from downtown, and how many nights to plan.
Check Yellowknife radarNORTH AMERICA
Hudson Bay
Churchill
Live aurora radar for Churchill, Manitoba, plus when the northern lights and polar bear seasons actually overlap, where to watch safely, and how many nights to plan.
Check Churchill radarNORTH AMERICA
Upper Great Lakes
Michigan and Minnesota
Live aurora radar for the Upper Great Lakes with the Kp you need at each latitude, from the Keweenaw to Detroit, plus certified dark-sky spots and the best months.
Check Michigan and Minnesota radarARCTIC ATLANTIC
Best clear-sky odds
Greenland
Live aurora radar for Greenland. Kangerlussuaq has 300+ clear nights a year, the best weather odds in the Arctic.
Check Greenland radarMID-LATITUDE
Dark Sky Park
Scotland (Cairngorms)
Live aurora radar for the Cairngorms plus the Kp you actually need at Scottish latitude, official Dark Sky Park spots, and why your phone sees more than your eyes.
Check Scotland (Cairngorms) radar
MID-LATITUDE
Kp 5+ · rare but real
United Kingdom
Rare, but real during strong geomagnetic storms: Kp thresholds by UK region, tonight’s alert and where to look.
Check UK radarThe three things that decide your night
- Clouds. Check this first, not Kp. A G3 storm behind clouds shows nothing.
- Geomagnetic activity. Kp index and the OVATION probability.
- Darkness and moon. A full moon washes out faint aurora even on a clear night.
How to read the radar
Start with the aurora oval and cloud layer on the map above. If the oval reaches your latitude and your location is clear, conditions are good regardless of the exact Kp number. For a full walkthrough of the science and the forecast tools, see our northern lights forecast guide.
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Aurora Forecast Tonight: Live Northern Lights Map
Check tonight's aurora forecast with live Kp, Bz, solar-wind, cloud-cover and NOAA/OVATION signals. Use the map for your location.
Learn more about the aurora
The radar tells you what is happening right now. These guides explain the science behind it: why the aurora appears, what drives stronger activity, and how to make sense of the numbers. Not sure whether the light you saw was an aurora, Starlink, a satellite or something else? Use our guide to identify a light in the sky.
THE SCIENCE
Explainer
How the Northern Lights Form
Solar wind, the magnetosphere and Kp, explained simply.
Read the explainer
SEASONAL PATTERN
Explainer
The Equinox Effect
Why geomagnetic activity spikes around March and September.
Read the explainer
BEYOND THE AURORA
Hub
Sky Phenomena 2026
Meteor showers, eclipses, moon phases and more night-sky events.
Explore sky phenomena
About the OndaTravel.pl author
Krystian — „dziadzia przewodnik”
Meet the OndaTravel.pl author: an independent Arctic guide, photographer and filmmaker. See how the guides are made, where the field photos come from, and how to reach out about a guided trip to Iceland, Lofoten or Norway.
For a low-KP, high-latitude base with the option of a North Cape side trip, see our guide to the northern lights in Nordkapp and Alta.
GUIDE
Northern Lights in Nordkapp and Alta: Live Radar and Forecast
Nordkapp and Alta sit far above the Arctic Circle in Norway's Finnmark region — among the most reliable places in Europe to see the northern lights, with dark polar nights running roughly…
For an easy-access base with direct flights and a compact town centre, see our guide to the northern lights in Kiruna.
GUIDE
Northern Lights in Kiruna: Live Radar and Forecast
Kiruna, in Swedish Lapland, sits at nearly 68°N — well inside the auroral oval — and is one of the most accessible northern-lights bases in Scandinavia, with a direct airport and a…
For interior Alaska’s exceptional odds near Fairbanks, see our guide to the northern lights in Alaska.
GUIDE
Northern Lights in Alaska: Live Radar and Forecast
Alaska is one of the most accessible places on Earth to chase the northern lights from within the United States, with Fairbanks sitting almost directly under the auroral oval. Northern Li…
FAQ: Northern Lights radar and aurora forecast
What is a good Kp index to see the aurora?
It depends on your latitude. In Tromsø or Svalbard, Kp 0-1 is often enough. Further south, such as Rovaniemi or Poland, you typically need Kp 2 or higher.
Can you see the northern lights with a full moon?
Yes, but a bright moon washes out faint aurora. Strong displays are still visible; weak ones become harder to see.
Do I need special glasses or equipment?
No. Cameras and modern phones capture aurora more vividly than the naked eye because of longer exposure times, not because of special equipment.
Why does my phone see aurora my eyes can not?
The human eye struggles with faint, low-light colour. A phone or camera exposes for several seconds, which reveals colour that looks grey or white to the naked eye.
What is the difference between Kp and the aurora oval?
Kp is a single global activity number updated every three hours. The aurora oval is the live band of activity itself, shown on the map above, and is a better real-time indicator.
How far in advance can aurora be predicted?
Reliable forecasts cover roughly 30-90 minutes ahead from solar wind data. Multi-day outlooks exist but carry much higher uncertainty.
Which location has better odds, Tromso or Lofoten?
Tromso has a slightly lower Kp threshold and easier winter access without a car. Lofoten needs marginally more activity but offers aurora over mountains and water, a composition Tromso does not have.
Is 2026 a good year for aurora, the solar maximum?
Yes. The current solar cycle peaked around 2024-2025 and elevated activity is expected to continue through 2026, meaning more frequent strong displays than in a typical year.
Read also
Planning beyond Europe? Start with the two country guides: northern lights in Canada and northern lights in the USA — both with Kp thresholds by region and the season as the local authorities define it.
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Live rocket launch calendar 2026/27: countdown to T-0 in UTC and site local time, mission status, where to watch the stream and what is visible from Europe.
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OndaTravel guide
Aurora Alerts
An aurora alert should be treated as a signal to check the conditions now: the radar for Poland, Kp, Bz, Bt, the solar wind, cloud cover and the northern horizon.…
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AURORA ALERTS
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Aurora Alert UK: How to Check If Tonight Is a Northern Lights Night
If you’ve heard there’s an aurora alert and want to know whether it applies to you tonight, the short version is: there’s no fixed „alert day” you can look up in…
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