AuroraMeteo

Tasmania, AustraliaMagnetic latitude 53.6°Population 1,3326 m above sea level

Southern lights in Seven Mile Beach

Seven Mile Beach 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 861 nights.

Right now

Activity is high enough for a camera right now: point your phone south, low over the horizon.

Kp 4.0 · 441 km/s · Bz -2.9

Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 3.

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

Tonight in one minute

Only in photos, if at all

  • Solar activity Enough for a camera: Kp 3.7 expected, 2.7 needed for photos, 4.3 for the eye.
  • Sky Partly cloudy (40% cloud) — look for gaps.
  • Darkness Dark from 20:46 to 05:01. A bright moon (85%) washes out faint displays.

What to do: Point a phone in night mode south (3–10 s exposure). A red or green glow often shows on the screen before you can see it.

Tonight

Updated 01:12 local time

22/100

Possible

Best around 01:00. Forecast max Kp 3.7 (this place needs 4.3), average cloud 40%.

Dark enough
20:46 – 05:01
Sunset
19:41 · sunrise 06:07
Moon
85% · ↑ 16:26 · ↓ 04:24
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°)
Fri 23 Oct1Kp 2.3 · cloud 91%
Sat 24 Oct0Kp 2.0 · cloud 100%
Fri 23 01 · 22/100 · Kp 3.7 · cloud 19% Fri 23 02 · 1/100 · Kp 2.0 · cloud 69% Fri 23 03 · 1/100 · Kp 2.0 · cloud 49% Fri 23 04 · 2/100 · Kp 2.0 · cloud 41% Fri 23 05 · 1/100 · Kp 2.3 · cloud 22% Sat 24 03 · 1/100 · Kp 2.0 · cloud 52% 061218Sat 24061218Sun 25061218Mon 26
Chance (0–100) Dark enough Cloud cover

Cloud layers and weather

High cloud Mid cloud Low cloud 061218Sat 24061218Sun 25061218Mon 26
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
TimeFri, 01Fri, 04Fri, 22Sat, 01Sat, 04Sat, 22Sun, 01Sun, 04Sun, 23
Low cloud0%0%26%58%96%94%98%80%0%
Mid cloud0%0%71%62%52%79%79%64%100%
High cloud27%2%100%80%38%1%8%29%0%
Temperature16 °C14 °C19 °C15 °C14 °C12 °C11 °C11 °C7 °C
Feels like16 °C14 °C19 °C15 °C14 °C12 °C11 °C11 °C7 °C
Wind3 m/s2 m/s1 m/s0 m/s1 m/s1 m/s0 m/s0 m/s1 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 Seven Mile Beach

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

Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Seven Mile Beach on Atlas of Seasons.

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What you would see from Seven Mile Beach

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

10°20°30°45° Kp 6.3 · high overheadKp 4.3 · 10°–21° SE 130° SE 145° SSE 160° S 175° S 190° SSW 205° SW 220° SW 235° WSW 250°
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.
KpWhat you seeLower edgeRay topsDistance 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 – – –
Angles above the horizon. Terrain in the look direction is taken into account where modelled.

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.

  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled camera in Seven Mile Beach Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
  3. Kp 4 Active next 24 h eye in Seven Mile Beach Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
  6. Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
  7. 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.
  8. 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

Dark rural sky. Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted.

A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-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

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 Seven Mile Beach

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%).

0%10% January: 1% Jan February: 1% Feb March: 3% Mar April: 3% Apr May: 3% May June: 3% Jun July: 3% Jul August: 5% Aug September: 4% Sept October: 4% Oct November: 2% Nov December: 1% Dec
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
MonthGood nightsClear nightsDarknessLow / high
March 3% 51% 9.5 h 14° / 18°C
April 3% 51% 11.0 h 13° / 16°C
May 3% 54% 12.0 h 11° / 14°C
June 3% 53% 12.8 h 10° / 13°C
July 3% 55% 12.3 h 9° / 12°C
August 5% 60% 11.4 h 9° / 12°C
September 4% 62% 9.9 h 9° / 13°C
October 4% 60% 8.5 h 10° / 14°C
Good night = darkness + activity at this place's Kp level + night-time satellite cloud ≤ 70%. GFZ Kp, NASA POWER (CERES), 1° grid. Methodology
13%chance of ≥1 good night in 3 nights (August)
21%chance of ≥1 good night in 5 nights (August)
28%chance of ≥1 good night in 7 nights (August)

Aurora nights in Seven Mile Beach since 1995

Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.

2015: 3915392016: 3016302017: 3117312018: 1118112019: 61962020: 52052021: 1021102022: 2522252023: 2623262024: 3024302025: 5025502026: 252625
Per year, last 12 years. Cloud cover not included. Source: GFZ Kp.

Most recent strong nights

Practical information

Nearest airport
Hobart International Airport (HBA) · 2 km
Typical low / high in August
9° / 12°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 Seven Mile Beach?

Seven Mile Beach 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 Seven Mile Beach?

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 Seven Mile Beach?

Over 2005–2025, August gave the best odds in Seven Mile Beach (5% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (4%).

When is the aurora season in Seven Mile Beach?

Seven Mile Beach 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 Seven Mile Beach?

Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-east.

When was the aurora last possible in Seven Mile Beach?

Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Seven Mile Beach on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3) — 861 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.

Also covered by this forecast

Villages and districts around Seven Mile Beach share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.