Tasmania, AustraliaMagnetic latitude 51.8°Population 2,0453 m above sea level
Can you see the southern lights in St Helens?
From St Helens the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the south. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 5.3) was reached during darkness here on 400 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 20:35.
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 0.3.
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 4.7 expected, 3.7 needed for photos, 5.3 for the eye.
- Sky Mostly clear (29% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:35 to 05:07.
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.
Tuesday 20 October — Photos only · Kp 4.7 · best around 04:30 · Forecast cloud: 29%. · 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 10:34 local time
Unlikely
Best around 04:00. Forecast max Kp 4.7 (this place needs 5.3), average cloud 29%.
- Dark enough
- 20:35 – 05:07
- Sunset
- 19:32 · sunrise 06:11
- Moon
- 53% · ↑ 12:01 · ↓ 03:09
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 5.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 3.7 (a red glow low in the south).
- Look towards
- south (188°)
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% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 47% | 44% | 44% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 19% | 21% | 27% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
| Temperature | 16 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 20 °C | 14 °C | 13 °C | 20 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C |
| Feels like | 16 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 20 °C | 14 °C | 13 °C | 20 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C |
| Wind | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 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 St Helens
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for St Helens: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
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What you would see from St Helens
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 | 0° | 4° | 1,190 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 2° | 7° | 967 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 11° | 745 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 9° | 18° | 523 km |
| 6 | Visible to the south | 18° | 32° | 300 km |
| 7 | Visible to the south | 53° | 68° | 78 km |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 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 Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active camera in St Helens Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) next 24 h eye in St Helens 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
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-north-west. 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 3° above the horizon towards the south. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 5.3 instead of Kp 5.3. 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 St Helens
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
August has been the best month (2% of nights), followed by September (2%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 1% | 70% | 9.6 h | 13° / 21°C |
| April | 1% | 64% | 11.0 h | 11° / 18°C |
| May | 1% | 68% | 12.0 h | 9° / 15°C |
| June | 1% | 66% | 12.4 h | 8° / 13°C |
| July | 0.3% | 61% | 12.3 h | 7° / 13°C |
| August | 2% | 69% | 11.4 h | 7° / 13°C |
| September | 2% | 70% | 10.0 h | 7° / 14°C |
| October | 2% | 67% | 8.6 h | 9° / 16°C |
Aurora nights in St Helens since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 5.3 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 18 August 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 8 August 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 2 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 4 July 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 5 June 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 4 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Launceston Airport (LST) · 89 km
- Typical low / high in August
- 7° / 13°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 St Helens?
From St Helens the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.3 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 St Helens?
Face south (about 188° from true north). At Kp 5.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 18° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in St Helens?
Over 2005–2025, August gave the best odds in St Helens (2% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (2%).
When is the aurora season in St Helens?
St Helens 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 St Helens?
Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-west.
When was the aurora last possible in St Helens?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level St Helens needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3). It has happened on 400 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around St Helens share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Priory 5 km
- Stieglitz 6 km
- Akaroa 9 km
- Binalong Bay 10 km
- Beaumaris 11 km
- Goshen 12 km
- Scamander 15 km
- Goulds Country 18 km
- Pyengana 19 km
- Lottah 20 km
- Falmouth 21 km
- Break O'Day 23 km
- Pyengana West 26 km
- Cornwall 28 km
- Mount Nicholas 29 km
- Saint Marys 30 km
- Weldborough 31 km
- Cullenswood 31 km
- Ansons Bay 31 km
- Mathinna 34 km
- Gray 34 km
- Eddystone 37 km
- Lagoons 39 km
- Tower Hill 39 km