Western Australia, AustraliaMagnetic latitude 44.9°Population 76,4525 m above sea level
Can you see the southern lights in Bunbury?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 8.7 or more) bring the aurora into view from Bunbury — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the south. Since 1995 that level (Kp 8.7) was reached during darkness here on 8 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:31.
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
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3.3 expected, 8.7 needed here.
- Sky Partly cloudy (53% cloud) — look for gaps.
- Darkness Dark from 19:31 to 04:32. A bright moon (74%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Thursday 22 October — No · Kp 3.3 · Forecast cloud: 53%. · Reliability: good
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 13:34 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 3.3 (this place needs 8.7), average cloud 53%.
- Dark enough
- 19:31 – 04:32
- Sunset
- 18:34 · sunrise 05:28
- Moon
- 74% · ↑ 13:39 · ↓ 03:02
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 8.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 7 (a red glow low in the south).
- Look towards
- south (182°)
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 | Wed, 19 | Wed, 22 | Thu, 01 | Thu, 04 | Thu, 21 | Fri, 00 | Fri, 03 | Fri, 20 | Fri, 23 | Sat, 02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 84% | 84% | 68% | 64% | 46% | 44% | 43% | 30% | 37% | 39% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 18 °C | 16 °C | 15 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 12 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 9 °C | 9 °C |
| Feels like | 18 °C | 16 °C | 15 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 12 °C | 12 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 9 °C |
| Wind | 7 m/s | 6 m/s | 5 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 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 Bunbury
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Bunbury: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Bunbury on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Bunbury
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 | -6° | -3° | 1,957 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -4° | -1° | 1,735 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -3° | 1° | 1,512 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | -1° | 3° | 1,290 km |
| 6 | Below the horizon | 1° | 6° | 1,068 km |
| 7 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 3° | 9° | 845 km |
| 8 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 7° | 15° | 623 km |
| 9 | Visible to the south | 13° | 24° | 400 km |
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 next 24 h 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) camera in Bunbury Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) eye in Bunbury 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.
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 Bunbury
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 8.7 or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 0% | 84% | 9.8 h | 15° / 30°C |
| April | 0% | 84% | 11.0 h | 12° / 25°C |
| May | 0.3% | 85% | 11.6 h | 9° / 20°C |
| June | 0% | 83% | 12.0 h | 7° / 16°C |
| July | 0% | 84% | 11.9 h | 7° / 15°C |
| August | 0% | 86% | 11.3 h | 7° / 16°C |
| September | 0% | 92% | 10.3 h | 7° / 17°C |
| October | 0% | 88% | 9.0 h | 9° / 21°C |
Aurora nights in Bunbury since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 8.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 11 May 2024 · Kp 9.0
- 10 May 2024 · Kp 8.7
- 9 November 2004 · Kp 8.7
- 27 July 2004 · Kp 8.7
- 20 November 2003 · Kp 8.7
- 30 October 2003 · Kp 9.0
- 29 October 2003 · Kp 8.7
- 15 July 2000 · Kp 9.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Busselton Margaret River Regional Airport (BQB) · 46 km
- Typical low / high in May
- 9° / 20°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 Bunbury?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 8.7 or more) bring the aurora into view from Bunbury — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the south.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Bunbury?
Face south (about 182° from true north). At Kp 8.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 13° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
When is the aurora season in Bunbury?
Bunbury 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 Bunbury?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
When was the aurora last possible in Bunbury?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Bunbury needs, during darkness, was 11 May 2024 (Kp 9.0). It has happened on 8 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Bunbury share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Bunbury city centre 0 km
- East Bunbury 2 km
- Vittoria 2 km
- Glen Iris 3 km
- Carey Park 3 km
- Riverlea 3 km
- South Bunbury 3 km
- Bunbury 4 km
- Pelican Point 5 km
- Withers 5 km
- Picton Junction 6 km
- Eaton 6 km
- College Grove 6 km
- Usher 6 km
- Davenport 7 km
- Picton East 8 km
- Gelorup 9 km
- Australind 9 km
- Dalyellup 9 km
- Millbridge 9 km
- Gelorup 11 km
- Dardanup West 11 km
- Leschenault 12 km
- Dardanup 13 km
- Wellesley 15 km
- Burekup 16 km
- Stratham 16 km
- Burragenup 16 km
- Roelands 17 km
- Boyanup 19 km
- Brunswick Junction 20 km
- Binningup 21 km
- Capel 22 km
- Brunswick 23 km
- Dardanup 24 km
- Myalup 25 km
- Benger 26 km
- Argyle 27 km
- Wellington Mill 29 km
- Wokalup 31 km