Aurora planning is signal + darkness + sky conditions
A strong space-weather number is not the same thing as a good local viewing window. Check the aurora signal, cloud obstruction, darkness and moon context together.
Optional device location is rounded before lookup and is not sent to analytics.
Open the live aurora tool
Northern Lights Forecast
Combine NOAA OVATION aurora signal, NWS local cloud forecast, darkness and moon context to find the best available viewing window.
U.S. Outdoor Desk
Save the place and keep the aurora opportunity alongside the other national outdoor signals without blending them into one score.
Kp is context, not a local probability
Kp describes planetary geomagnetic activity. It does not tell you by itself whether your exact location has aurora overhead, clear skies or darkness at the right time.
Clouds can erase a strong signal
The live tool keeps NWS cloud information separate from the NOAA space-weather signal so a cloudy location does not receive a falsely confident viewing claim.
Darkness defines the usable window
Aurora may be active while the sky is still too bright. Sunset and darkness timing narrow the period when the signal can actually be observed.
Moonlight changes contrast, not aurora physics
Moon context helps set expectations for visual contrast and photography. It does not strengthen or weaken the underlying geomagnetic event.