South Australia, AustraliaMagnetic latitude 48.8°Population 25,59141 m above sea level

Can you see the southern lights in Mount Gambier?

From Mount Gambier the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the south. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6.7) was reached during darkness here on 105 nights.

Right now

Quiet right now (Kp 1.7).

Kp 1.7 · 412 km/s · Bz -3.7

Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 2.3.

Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: GFZ Potsdam Hp30 index (CC BY 4.0).

Tonight in one minute

Not tonight

Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3.3 expected, 6.7 needed here.
Sky Mostly clear (0% cloud).
Darkness Dark from 20:29 to 05:12. A bright moon (76%) washes out faint displays.

What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.

Your next chance

Sunday 1 November, around 00:00

Photos only · Kp 5 is expected — enough for a camera here (photos from Kp 5), not for the eye. No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 66% of nights are clear here.

Reliability: low (rough trend) Take a phone with night mode and point it south, low over the horizon.

Best night in this period: Monday 2 November (photos only).

Good chance Possible Photos only No

Detailed forecast Wed 21 3.3

Thu 22 2

Fri 23 1.3

27-day trend Sat 24 4

Sun 25 3

Mon 26 2

Tue 27 2

Wed 28 2

Thu 29 2

Fri 30 2

Sat 31 5

Sun 1 5

Mon 2 3

Tue 3 2

Wed 4 2

Thu 5 3

Fri 6 3

Sat 7 3

Sun 8 2

Mon 9 4

Tue 10 3

Wed 11 3

Thu 12 3

Fri 13 2

Sat 14 2

Sunday 1 November — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 00:00 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 66% of nights are clear here. · Reliability: low (rough trend)

Each box is one night: the colour shows the chance, the number the expected Kp. Tap a night for details.

📅 Add these nights to your calendar — it updates itself (.ics)

How far ahead can the northern lights be forecast?

Minutes to an hour: satellites 1.5 million km away measure the solar wind before it reaches Earth. This is the surest warning — the “Right now” box uses it.
1–3 days: when the Sun throws out a cloud of particles, it takes one to three days to arrive. NOAA's 3-hourly forecast covers these nights; the timing can still be off by a few hours.
4–27 days: the Sun turns once every 27 days, and regions that disturbed Earth's field last time often do it again. NOAA's 27-day outlook gives this rough trend — new eruptions are not in it yet.

Tonight

Updated 20:53 local time

1/100

Unlikely

Best around 20:30. Forecast max Kp 3.3 (this place needs 6.7), average cloud 0%.

Dark enough: 20:29 – 05:12
Sunset: 19:29 · sunrise 06:12
Moon: 76% · ↑ 15:21 · ↓ 03:55
Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.: Kp 6.7
Kp for photos: In photos: from Kp 5 (a red glow low in the south).
Look towards: south (186°)

Thu 22 Oct0Kp 2.0 · cloud 36%

Fri 23 Oct0Kp 1.3 · cloud 88%

Chance (0–100) Dark enough Cloud cover

Cloud layers and weather

Low cloudMid cloudHigh cloud Dark enough

Low cloud blocks the aurora completely. Thin high cloud often still lets a bright aurora shine through, so a sky with only high cloud is worth a look.

Dark hours
Time	Wed, 20	Wed, 23	Thu, 02	Thu, 20	Thu, 23	Fri, 02	Fri, 20	Fri, 23	Sat, 02
Low cloud	32%	26%	9%	0%	0%	0%	16%	25%	28%
Mid cloud	0%	0%	0%	11%	26%	46%	29%	16%	22%
High cloud	0%	3%	15%	17%	0%	0%	3%	0%	0%
Temperature	16 °C	11 °C	12 °C	22 °C	18 °C	18 °C	14 °C	11 °C	10 °C
Feels like	16 °C	11 °C	12 °C	22 °C	18 °C	18 °C	14 °C	11 °C	10 °C
Wind	1 m/s	2 m/s	2 m/s	1 m/s	2 m/s	2 m/s	2 m/s	1 m/s	1 m/s

Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).

Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology

Weather in Mount Gambier

The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Mount Gambier: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.

Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Mount Gambier on Atlas of Seasons.

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Preview

What you would see from Mount Gambier

Facing south. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.

Computed from the auroral oval position for each Kp level (lower border ~105 km, ray tops ~200 km up). Terrain not modelled for this place; the horizon is drawn flat.

Angles above the horizon. Terrain in the look direction is taken into account where modelled.
Kp	What you see	Lower edge	Ray tops	Distance to the aurora
2	Below the horizon	-3°	0°	1,523 km
3	Below the horizon	-1°	3°	1,301 km
4	Below the horizon	1°	5°	1,079 km
5	Faint glow, mostly on camera	3°	9°	856 km
6	Faint glow, mostly on camera	6°	14°	634 km
7	Visible to the south	12°	24°	411 km
8	Visible to the south	28°	45°	189 km
9	Overhead and all around	–	–	–

The Kp scale in plain words

Kp is a 0–9 score for how strongly the Earth's magnetic field is being shaken by the solar wind. The higher it goes, the further from the poles the northern lights reach. Kp 0–2 is a quiet night; Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm.

Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) camera in Mount Gambier Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) eye in Mount Gambier Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Kp 9 Extreme storm (G5) Seen across Europe and the US; in photos as far south as the Mediterranean, Turkey and North Africa (May 2024).

Light pollution

Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.

Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.

Hills and mountains

Terrain is not modelled for this place.

From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.

Best months to see the aurora in Mount Gambier

Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.

May has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by April (1%).

All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum

Good night = darkness + activity at this place's Kp level + night-time satellite cloud ≤ 70%. GFZ Kp, NASA POWER (CERES), 1° grid. Methodology
Month	Good nights	Clear nights	Darkness	Low / high
March	0.6%	83%	9.6 h	14° / 23°C
April	0.8%	77%	11.0 h	12° / 20°C
May	0.9%	74%	11.9 h	10° / 16°C
June	0.3%	65%	12.3 h	8° / 14°C
July	0.2%	69%	12.1 h	8° / 13°C
August	0.6%	71%	11.3 h	8° / 14°C
September	0.8%	75%	10.3 h	9° / 16°C
October	0.3%	66%	9.0 h	10° / 18°C

Aurora nights in Mount Gambier since 1995

Nights when Kp reached 6.7 or more while it was dark here.

Per year, last 12 years. Cloud cover not included. Source: GFZ Kp.

Most recent strong nights

10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
4 July 2026 · Kp 6.7
22 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
20 January 2026 · Kp 7.3
12 November 2025 · Kp 7.7
2 June 2025 · Kp 7.0
1 June 2025 · Kp 7.3
16 April 2025 · Kp 7.7

Practical information

Nearest airport: Mount Gambier Airport (MGB) · 10 km
Typical low / high in May: 10° / 16°C
What to wear: Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
Emergency number: 000 (112 also works from mobile phones)
Winter driving: Under Victoria's Alpine Resorts (Management) Regulations 2020, every vehicle entering Falls Creek, Mt Baw Baw, Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Mt Stirling must carry fitting wheel chains during the declared snow season (2026: 7 June - 4 October). Check VicTraffic for live Victorian road disruptions; in Tasmania, elevated roads get snow and ice in winter and closures are posted via Tasmania Police alerts / TasALERT. Road conditions
Access to land: Most Tasmanian national parks require a valid Parks & Wildlife Service parks pass per vehicle (24-hour, holiday/8-week, annual options; Cradle Mountain excluded from the 24-hour pass). Check land tenure before parking at night and respect any local closures.
Official space-weather service: Bureau of Meteorology Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (Aurora Watch/Alert/Outlook)
Weather service: Bureau of Meteorology

Questions and answers

What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Mount Gambier?

From Mount Gambier the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the south. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.

Which way should I look for the aurora in Mount Gambier?

Face south (about 186° from true north). At Kp 6.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 12° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.

What is the best month to see the aurora in Mount Gambier?

Over 2005–2025, May gave the best odds in Mount Gambier (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by April (1%).

When is the aurora season in Mount Gambier?

Mount Gambier gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.

Is there much light pollution in Mount Gambier?

Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.

When was the aurora last possible in Mount Gambier?

The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Mount Gambier needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3). It has happened on 105 nights since 1995.