Aurora Intel
Your intelligent companion for aurora hunts
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kristabel@auroraintel.io
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About Aurora Intel
Aurora Intel is designed and created by Kristabel, a passionate aurora hunter, who wanted to create the ultimate tool for fellow aurora addicts.
Whether you are planning your first aurora hunt or you are a seasoned veteran, this app is designed to help you catch the magic of the Northern and Southern Lights.
From real-time solar wind data to community sightings and organised hunts, Aurora Intel brings everything you need into one place.
Data Sources
Data Sources
13 sources powering Aurora Intel
Add to Home Screen
Install Aurora Intel on your device for quick access and a native app experience.
- Tap the Share button (square with arrow pointing up)
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
- Tap Add in the top right corner
- Tap the Menu button (three dots in corner)
- Tap Add to Home Screen or Install App
- Tap Add or Install to confirm
🎯Best Strategy for Aurora Hunting:
Plan your trips around coronal holes (predictable, multi-day events), but stay flexible for CME alerts (shorter notice, potentially more spectacular). This gives you the best of both worlds: reliable aurora activity with a chance for extraordinary displays!
The Connection: Flares → CMEs → Aurora
1. Solar Flare Erupts ⚡
A solar flare releases electromagnetic radiation (light, X-rays, radio waves) that reaches Earth in just 8 minutes at the speed of light.
Effect on Earth: Radio blackouts, GPS disruption - but no aurora yet!
2. CME Launches ☄️
Strong flares (especially X-class) often launch a Coronal Mass Ejection - billions of tons of magnetized plasma that travels much slower than light.
Timeline: Check coronagraph images 20-60 minutes after major flare for CME confirmation.
3. CME Travels to Earth 🌍
If Earth-directed, the CME travels for 1-3 days depending on speed. This is when aurora hunters prepare!
Your window: From flare detection to aurora = 1-3 days of preparation time.
4. Aurora! 🌌
When the CME hits Earth's magnetosphere, if the magnetic field orientation is favorable (Bz south), spectacular aurora displays light up the sky!
Duration: Aurora can last from a few hours to multiple days depending on CME size and speed.
Flare Class vs CME Launch Probability
Key Insight: Flare ≠ CME ≠ Aurora. Flares are electromagnetic (instant), CMEs are plasma (slow). A strong flare WITHOUT a CME produces no aurora - just radio effects!
Coronal Holes vs CMEs
- ✓Predictable ~27-day cycle
- ✓Lasts 2-5 days (multiple nights)
- ✓Kp 4-6 (moderate, reliable)
- ✓Great for planning trips
- ✓Consistent performance
- •Unpredictable (no cycle)
- •Usually lasts 6-24 hours
- •Kp 5-9 (can be extreme)
- •Short notice (1-3 days)
- •Performance varies (Bz dependent)
Response Time & Timeline
IMF to Aurora Response
- •L1 monitoring point: 1.5 million km from Earth
- •Transit time to Earth: 30-60 minutes typically
- •Magnetospheric response: 20-40 minutes after IMF arrival
- •Total lag: ~45-90 minutes from L1 observation to aurora onset
Substorm Development Timeline
Energy loading, quiet period before onset
Aurora brightens dramatically and spreads
Aurora fades, pulsating patches remain
Aurora Types & Colours
Aurora Colours Explained
Aurora colours depend on which atmospheric gas is excited and at what altitude.
Most common. Oxygen atoms at 100-300km altitude. Visible even in weak displays.
Oxygen at high altitude (200-400km). Seen during strong storms, often as red tops on green curtains.
Nitrogen molecules at lower edge (80-100km). Often appears as purple fringes at the bottom of curtains.
Mix of red oxygen and blue nitrogen emissions. Common during intense substorms.
Aurora Types
Stable, uniform band stretching east-west. Often the first sign of aurora activity.
Arc with vertical rays/striations. Indicates increasing activity.
Folded, flowing structures resembling curtains blowing in the wind. Classic aurora form.
Rays appearing to converge overhead at the magnetic zenith. Spectacular during strong storms!
Patches that turn on/off every few seconds. Often seen during recovery phase.
Narrow purple/mauve ribbon, not technically aurora but often appears alongside it.
Faint, widespread glow without distinct structures. Often visible only to cameras.
Version 1.2.0
Made with love for aurora addicts everywhere