Photography planning guide
Aurora Photography Weather
Combine aurora activity with cloud, visibility, moonlight, and darkness for practical northern lights alerts.
Planning goal
Filter strong geomagnetic activity through local sky and night conditions.
Start with the combined condition
First-pass shortlistBest first aurora check
Aurora Quality
freeAurora Quality filters aurora activity through darkness, cloud cover, and visibility so the guide starts with the practical question: can you actually photograph the display?
Open the Aurora Quality guide
What it combines
Use the score to shortlist hours, then check the ingredient fields for the reason behind the result.
Aurora geomagnetic activity score (0-100%) based on Kp index and geomagnetic latitude
Predicted aurora Kp index for geomagnetic activity
Real-time NOAA OVATION Prime satellite aurora probability (0-100%). Available for near-term forecasts only (0-2 hours).
Overall cloud coverage across all altitudes
Horizontal visibility distance
Percentage of moon disc illuminated (0% = new, 100% = full)
Signals worth waiting for
- Elevated aurora activity for your latitude
- Clear or broken sky toward the likely aurora direction
- Dark enough sky for the display strength you expect
- Good visibility and low haze
- A practical northern horizon with legal access and stable footing
Example alert rules
- Aurora activity high + cloud cover low
- Kp elevated + astronomical night
- Aurora quality high + visibility good
Supporting weather fields
22 weather fieldsAurora Activity
freeAurora geomagnetic activity score (0-100%) based on Kp index and geomagnetic latitude
Aurora Kp Index
freePredicted aurora Kp index for geomagnetic activity
OVATION Aurora Probability
proReal-time NOAA OVATION Prime satellite aurora probability (0-100%). Available for near-term forecasts only (0-2 hours).
Total Cloud Coverage
freeOverall cloud coverage across all altitudes
Moon Illumination
Percentage of moon disc illuminated (0% = new, 100% = full)
Aerosol Optical Depth (550nm)
proTotal aerosol optical depth at 550nm. Lower values indicate clearer skies and more vivid colours.
Ångström Exponent
proÅngström exponent (α) computed from AOD at 550nm and 865nm. Indicates aerosol particle size: higher values = smaller particles (pollution, smoke), lower values = larger particles (dust, sea salt).
Astronomical Night
Darkest period between astronomical dusk and dawn
Cloud Base Height
freeEstimated height of cloud base above ground level
Dust AOD (550nm)
proDust component of aerosol optical depth. High dust reduces air clarity and can create warm-toned haze.
High Clouds
freeCloud coverage above 6km altitude (cirrus)
Low Clouds
freeCloud coverage below 2km altitude
Mid-Level Clouds
freeCloud coverage between 2-6km altitude
Milky Way Altitude
Galactic Center elevation angle above horizon
Milky Way Visibility
When Galactic Center or MW band is photographable
Moon Altitude
Moon's elevation angle above horizon
Moon Azimuth
Moon's compass direction (0° = North, 180° = South)
Moon Phase
Specific moon phase requirements
Moon Visibility
Moon must be above the horizon
Sea Salt AOD (550nm)
proSea salt component of aerosol optical depth. Indicates marine aerosols from ocean spray, common in coastal areas.
Smoke AOD (550nm)
proSmoke component of aerosol optical depth (black carbon + organic matter). Indicates wildfire smoke or urban pollution affecting air quality and visibility.
Visibility
freeHorizontal visibility distance
Useful combinations
These are starting points for photographer-first alerts. Adjust thresholds for your location, season, subject, and safety margin.
Aurora activity + cloud cover
A strong aurora alert is only useful if your local cloud forecast leaves openings in the right direction.
Kp index + latitude
Higher Kp matters most when it brings the auroral oval far enough south for your location.
Darkness + moonlight
Low moonlight helps faint aurora; brighter moon can still work for strong displays and lit foregrounds.
Related alert templates
Use templates when you want a ready-made rule, then tune it for how strict you want the alert to be.
Create alerts for this shooting goal
Open the individual field guides above to see practical values, mistakes, limitations, and PhotoWeather rule examples.
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