Tasmania, AustraliaMagnetic latitude 53.6°Population 254,93019 m above sea level
Southern lights in Hobart, Tasmania
Hobart needs an active night: from about Kp 4.3 the aurora appears low over the south horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows. Since 1995 storms of Kp 4.7 or more reached this place during darkness on 859 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 0.0).
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 0.7.
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 1.3 expected, 4.3 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (0% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:43 to 05:07.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Tuesday 20 October — Possible · Kp 4.7 · best around 04:30 · Forecast cloud: 74%. · Reliability: medium
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 05:10 local time
Unlikely
Best around 05:00. Forecast max Kp 1.3 (this place needs 4.3), average cloud 0%.
- Dark enough
- 20:43 – 05:07
- Sunset
- 19:38 · sunrise 06:12
- Moon
- 51% · ↑ 11:59 · ↓ 02:48
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 4.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 2.7 (a red glow low in the south).
- Look towards
- south (190°)
Cloud layers and weather
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.
| Time | Mon, 20 | Mon, 23 | Tue, 02 | Tue, 20 | Tue, 23 | Wed, 02 | Wed, 20 | Wed, 23 | Thu, 02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 12% | 14% | 66% | 100% | 70% |
| Mid cloud | 98% | 100% | 100% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 29% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 100% | 100% | 56% | 52% | 100% | 63% | 62% | 18% | 16% |
| Temperature | 19 °C | 15 °C | 13 °C | 18 °C | 15 °C | 13 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C |
| Feels like | 19 °C | 15 °C | 13 °C | 18 °C | 15 °C | 13 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C |
| Wind | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 0 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Forecast cloud during tonight's darkness: 74% here. The clearest option within 100 km is about 100 km to the north, with 23%. Open in OpenStreetMap
MET Norway forecast at 24 points within 100 km, averaged over the dark hours. Check roads and conditions before driving.
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Weather in Hobart
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Hobart: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
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What you would see from Hobart
Facing south. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | 2° | 7° | 990 km |
| 3 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 11° | 767 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 8° | 17° | 545 km |
| 5 | Visible to the south | 16° | 30° | 322 km |
| 6 | Visible to the south | 46° | 63° | 100 km |
| 7 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the north | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the north | – | – | – |
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 next 24 h Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled camera in Hobart Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active eye in Hobart Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) 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) 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
Bright suburban sky. Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
A noticeably darker area starts about 15 km to the south-east. Open in OpenStreetMap
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
The terrain rises to about 4° above the horizon towards the south. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 4.3 instead of Kp 4.3. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the south helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Hobart
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
August has been the best month (5% of nights), followed by September (4%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4% | 65% | 9.5 h | 8° / 19°C |
| April | 4% | 66% | 11.0 h | 7° / 15°C |
| May | 4% | 61% | 12.0 h | 5° / 12°C |
| June | 4% | 64% | 12.8 h | 4° / 10°C |
| July | 3% | 59% | 12.3 h | 3° / 9°C |
| August | 5% | 65% | 11.4 h | 3° / 10°C |
| September | 4% | 67% | 9.9 h | 4° / 12°C |
| October | 4% | 64% | 8.5 h | 5° / 14°C |
Aurora nights in Hobart since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 18 August 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 8 August 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 2 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 23 July 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 4 July 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 5 June 2026 · Kp 6.0
Where to watch near Hobart
-
Mount Nelson Signal Station
Elevated lookout on the city's southern edge with wide views down the Derwent; the most accessible option inside Hobart for bright displays. · about 7 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
kunanyi / Mount Wellington summit
At about 1,270 m the summit rises above most city light, with sweeping views south over the Derwent estuary. · about 21 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Goat Bluff Lookout (South Arm Peninsula)
Clifftop lookout with car park and a largely unobstructed south-facing ocean horizon, far from city lights. · about 32 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Howden
Local favourite about 25 minutes south of Hobart with low light pollution and open water views to the south. · about 20 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Tinderbox
Small coastal settlement facing the D'Entrecasteaux Channel with dark skies close to the city. · about 22 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- May to August gives the longest, darkest nights, though aurora can appear in any month when solar activity is high.
- Watch the Bureau of Meteorology Space Weather Services aurora alerts and be ready to move at short notice; displays often give little warning.
- Get out of the city lights to a spot with a clear, unobstructed view of the southern horizon, where aurora usually first appears.
- Faint displays often look like grey-white glows to the eye; a camera on a tripod with a 10-20 second exposure reveals the colour.
- Avoid nights around full moon and check the cloud forecast as well as the aurora forecast.
The road to the kunanyi / Mount Wellington summit can close for snow and ice in winter; check conditions before driving up at night.
Wallabies and wombats are active at dusk and night on rural roads, so drive slowly.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Hobart International Airport (HBA) · 16 km
- Typical low / high in August
- 3° / 10°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 Hobart?
Hobart needs an active night: from about Kp 4.3 the aurora appears low over the south horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Hobart?
Face south (about 190° from true north). At Kp 4.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 16° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Hobart?
Over 2005–2025, August gave the best odds in Hobart (5% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (4%).
When is the aurora season in Hobart?
Hobart 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 Hobart?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display. A noticeably darker area starts about 15 km to the south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Hobart?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Hobart on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3) — 859 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Hobart share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Hobart city centre 0 km
- Battery Point 1 km
- Glebe 1 km
- North Hobart 1 km
- Queens Domain 1 km
- Sandy Bay 2 km
- Mount Stuart 2 km
- South Hobart 2 km
- West Hobart 2 km
- New Town 3 km
- Dynnyrne 3 km
- Cornelian Bay 3 km
- Moonah 4 km
- Lindisfarne 4 km
- Hobart 4 km
- Tolmans Hill 4 km
- Lutana 5 km
- Lenah Valley 5 km
- Mount Nelson 5 km
- West Moonah 5 km
- Ridgeway 6 km
- Goodwood 6 km
- Geilston Bay 6 km
- Derwent Park 6 km
- Taroona 7 km
- Glenorchy 7 km
- Fern Tree 7 km
- Cascades 7 km
- Dowsing Point 7 km
- Otago 8 km
- Risdon Vale 8 km
- Risdon 9 km
- Clarendon Vale 9 km
- Rosetta 9 km
- Tranmere 9 km
- Montrose 9 km
- Summerleas 9 km
- Glenorchy 10 km
- Bonnet Hill 10 km
- Neika 11 km