The resources listed below are some of the tools I utilize before and during a chase.
A successful aurora chase depends on monitoring the right data at the right time. The tools below cover every layer — from long-range solar forecasting and real-time geomagnetic data, to live sky cams, cloud cover, light pollution, and star field planning.
Space Weather & Solar
Forecasting, real-time data & solar monitoring
The U.S. government’s official space weather hub — the backbone of every aurora toolkit. Key products: 3-Day Forecast, 27-Day Outlook, Real-Time Solar Wind, and the OVATION Aurora 30-Minute Forecast map.
NOAA’s experimental dashboard consolidates the most critical real-time data — Kp index, Bz, solar wind speed, and the auroral oval map — into one purpose-built view for chasers.
Third-party site presenting NOAA data in a cleaner, more visual format. Excellent live Bz/solar wind graphs and a great companion for those newer to reading space weather data.
Daily editorial briefing on solar flares, CMEs, and aurora activity worldwide. Great for context and understanding what just happened on the sun and why it matters.
Other
Additional tools & resources
The premier astronomy weather app for North America. Its specialized CMC cloud forecasting, ensemble model comparison, and Kp alerts make it indispensable for planning whether and where to drive on a given night. Best used alongside a space weather tool.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office provides a detailed low and mid-level cloud cover forecast map specifically for Iceland — far more granular and accurate for Icelandic conditions than general weather apps. Essential for planning any Iceland chase.
Norwegian weather service by NRK and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Widely regarded as the most accurate forecasting tool for Iceland, Norway, and the North Atlantic.
What are some of the best aurora tracking websites/on-line resources?
Real-time sky conditions from prime aurora locations
Continuous live webcam pointed at the Icelandic sky. A quick gut-check on current cloud cover and real-time confirmation of whether aurora is actually visible on the ground.
University of Alaska Fairbanks live sky stream on Explore.org. Fairbanks sits within the auroral oval — active far more nights than webcams at lower latitudes.
Live view from Northern Maine; perfect for northern tier USA chasers
Planning & Location Tools
Dark skies, star fields & specialized weather
Interactive Bortle Scale and SQM map for identifying dark-sky locations. One of the most underutilized tools by first-time chasers — 30-50 miles from a city light dome makes a dramatic difference.
Free browser-based planetarium. Useful for pre-planning compositions — Milky Way position, Moon phase, rise/set times, constellation bearings, and twilight timing for any location and date.
A Few Field Reminders
Using these tools effectively
No single tool tells the whole story. Combine a space weather source (SWPC or SpaceWeatherLive) with a cloud cover tool (Astrospheric for North America, Yr.no for Europe) and a light pollution map.
The most important real-time number is the Bz. A sustained strongly negative Bz can produce active aurora even at modest Kp levels. Many apps bury this — always find it.
Don’t rely solely on push notifications during an active event. Conditions can go from subdued to spectacular in 15-20 minutes — monitor actively when a storm is in progress.
Webcams (Landhotel, UAF) are the fastest way to confirm aurora is actually on the ground. Forecasts tell you what to expect; webcams tell you what is actually happening.
Use Stellarium and LightPollution in the planning phase — days to weeks before a trip. SWPC and SpaceWeatherLive become your go-to tools in the real-time chase phase.
CMEs can shift peak timing by 12-24 hours from any forecast. Always build cushion into your schedule around a predicted impact — being a day early beats missing it entirely.
Want a guided walkthrough of how to read and combine these tools into a real chase plan? The 1-hour personal concierge Zoom session covers this in depth.
