Aurora Capture 极光捕手

How to Use This Tool

Enter latitude and longitude. The tool automatically detects your local time and time zone, then generates an aurora viewing forecast for your location.

【1-Hour Precision】
Updated at 10-minute resolution to answer one question:
“Should I go out right now? Should I set up the camera?”

【3-Hour Forecast】
Shows hour-by-hour conditions and highlights the best hour within the next 3 hours.
It also indicates whether activity is intensifying or fading, and answers:
“Is it worth waiting in the next 3 hours?”

【72-Hour Outlook】
Incorporates broader solar drivers such as coronal holes (CH) and CME context.
Provides a day-level probability range to answer:
“Which day in the next 3 days is most worth planning for?”

Why KP Alone Is Not Enough

Kp is a global geomagnetic index designed for space-weather monitoring.
It works well for spacecraft operations, power-grid protection, and long-term geomagnetic disturbance assessment.
But it was never designed for ground observers making location- and time-specific decisions.

For aurora chasing and photography, Kp is often too coarse.
It does not reflect rapid changes in IMF orientation, and it struggles to represent short-term stability and local response.
That’s why real-world outcomes can look like this:
Kp seems “perfect”, yet nothing is visible.

Aurora Capture was born from nights spent waiting in the cold—trying to turn uncertainty into a usable decision.
Note: MLAT shown on this page may be an approximation by default; if an AACGMv2 conversion endpoint is available, the tool can switch to true AACGMv2 MLAT automatically.

The C-Index (Capture Index) is not meant to replace Kp.
It is a photographer-oriented “shootability” indicator.

Instead of relying on a single global index, Aurora Capture models directly from upstream solar-wind and magnetic-field parameters.
On shorter time scales, it evaluates whether conditions are forming a window that is realistically worth your time and effort.

Let’s see what kind of hand Earth is holding—right now.

Feedback & Suggestions

Bug reports / suggestions / suspicious data can be sent to:
auroracapture.feedback@gmail.com
Independently maintained. Replies may be delayed.

—— @小狮子佑酱