Southern Lights tonight in Launceston, TAS

Tonight in Launceston

Launceston sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 48.2° S, so the aurora usually needs a Kp index of about 8 or higher before it rises above the southern horizon. Tonight's NOAA forecast peaks at Kp 2 (quiet) during the dark hours, 6.0 short of what Launceston needs.

The Moon is 100% illuminated (full moon), bright enough to wash out a faint aurora, so only a stronger display will stand out. For the best view look south, low on the horizon, from somewhere away from street lights.

Right now NOAA's OVATION model gives up to 0% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Launceston. OVATION is a short-range nowcast (30 to 90 minutes ahead), useful for deciding whether to step outside now.

3-day Kp forecast

None of the next 3 days reaches the Kp 8 that Launceston needs. Kp is a global 0–9 index of geomagnetic activity, issued in 3-hour blocks (UTC); NOAA forecasts beyond 24 hours are uncertain, because storms are triggered by solar eruptions that take 1–3 days to arrive.

Why Launceston needs Kp 8

The aurora forms in an oval around the geomagnetic pole, which sits in the Canadian Arctic (about 80.8° N, 72.8° W), not at the geographic pole. That is why the Kp a city needs depends on its geomagnetic rather than its geographic latitude. At Kp 0 the oval's edge is near 66° geomagnetic; each step of Kp pushes it roughly 2° toward the equator.

At 48.2° geomagnetic, Launceston needs about Kp 8 for aurora low on the horizon, Kp 9 or more for a display high in the sky. Hobart, 161 km away, needs about Kp 7.

Aurora forecast for nearby cities

• Southern lights Hobart
• Southern lights Frankston East
• Southern lights Geelong
• Southern lights Warrnambool

More sky and weather

• Aurora forecast (all cities)
• Northern Taurids meteor shower
• Meteor showers
• Weather warnings