Get the most out of Aurora Forecast on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Understand KP and the aurora oval, set up alerts for tonight, add the widgets, and use the 4K aurora footage as a calm ambience on the big screen.
The forecast and KP index pull from public space-weather feeds (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and similar agencies). The app refreshes the data on a regular interval - the same sources professional aurora alerts use.
KP is a 0-9 scale of geomagnetic activity. Higher numbers mean the aurora oval pushes further from the poles - so more places have a chance to see it. Inside the app, each KP value gets a plain-English explanation for your selected location.
No. The aurora is influenced by the sun, the atmosphere, your latitude, and local sky conditions (cloud, light pollution). The app gives you the best available forecast and current activity; nature does the rest.
The map shows where on Earth the aurora is currently most likely to be visible. The brighter the band, the higher the chance. You can pinch and rotate the map to look at any region.
Yes. The 3-day forecast highlights the likely peak hours each night and shows simple "Low / Moderate / High" badges for your selected location.
Yes. Set a KP threshold (for example, KP 5 if you live mid-latitude) and the app notifies you when the forecast crosses it. On iPhone and iPad there is a second kind of alert: when satellites at the L1 point measure a solar wind stream strong enough to matter, you are told while it is still in flight - usually 30 to 90 minutes before it reaches Earth.
Yes. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show the current KP and conditions for your location, and during an active storm a Live Activity keeps the numbers on the Lock Screen without opening the app.
Yes. Pick an aurora scene and tap Loop. Auto-dim drops the brightness after a set time so it does not light up your room.
Because KP on its own says nothing about where you are. The same KP 5 puts the aurora overhead in Tromso and below the horizon in Berlin. The chance you see is computed from your geomagnetic latitude, and next to it the app shows how far you are from the edge of the auroral oval in degrees and kilometres.
It lines up the hourly cloud cover with the KP forecast and ranks the clearest 30- and 60-minute windows of the coming night. If the sky stays shut until morning it says so rather than inventing a "best time".
Your eyes need 15 to 20 minutes to adapt to the dark and one white screen resets it - the same reason cockpits and observatories use red light. Night vision turns the whole app deep red and dims it, and it is one tap from any screen.
Because "look north" is wrong almost everywhere. The geomagnetic pole sits 10 to 15 degrees off the geographic one, so the aurora can stand well west of north. The compass points at the nearest edge of the oval and tells you how high above the horizon to look.
The live conditions screen, the widgets, the Live Activity and night vision mode are free. Tonight hour by hour, the 3-day outlook, the map, alerts, the compass, photo mode and the lessons open with a single one-time purchase - no subscription, and one payment covers iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
Yes. The forecast covers anywhere on Earth, and the 4K ambience works regardless of where you are. The aurora itself is just rare further from the poles.
Northern lights forecast for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Live KP index, your chance from your own latitude, ranked cloud gaps, the oval on a map, alerts, compass, night vision, and 4K aurora ambience.
Be the first to know when tonight is a chance.
Lower the threshold for more notifications, raise it for only the strongest events.
Try this in Aurora Forecast →The alerts that arrive before the sky reacts.
Raise the threshold if you only want the strongest events; lower it to catch quieter nights.
Try this in Aurora Forecast →Red screen, a compass that points at the right part of the sky, and an exposure to start from.
The alerts keep working while you are out: one before the forecast crosses your threshold, one when the clouds are about to open.
Try this in Aurora Forecast →Even if you cannot see the aurora outside, you can have it on the TV.
Our support team usually replies within one business day.
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