Canterbury Region, New ZealandMagnetic latitude 50.2°Population 2,43025 m above sea level
Can you see the southern lights in Heathcote Valley?
From Heathcote Valley the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 7 or more), usually as a glow low in the south-south-west. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 7) was reached during darkness here on 71 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 21:08.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3.3 expected, 7 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (32% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 21:08 to 05:18. A bright moon (80%) 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: 32%. · 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 11:28 local time
Unlikely
Best around 21:00. Forecast max Kp 3.3 (this place needs 7), average cloud 32%.
- Dark enough
- 21:08 – 05:18
- Sunset
- 20:01 · sunrise 06:25
- Moon
- 80% · ↑ 15:31 · ↓ 04:42
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 7 (Kp 6 with an open horizon)
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 5.3 (a red glow low in the south-south-west).
- Look towards
- south-south-west (196°)
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 | Thu, 21 | Fri, 00 | Fri, 03 | Fri, 21 | Sat, 00 | Sat, 03 | Sat, 21 | Sun, 00 | Sun, 03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 23% | 12% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 5% | 4% |
| High cloud | 12% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
| Temperature | 14 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C | 17 °C | 13 °C | 10 °C |
| Feels like | 14 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C | 17 °C | 13 °C | 10 °C |
| Wind | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 0 m/s | 0 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 Heathcote Valley
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Heathcote Valley: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Heathcote Valley on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Heathcote Valley
Facing south-south-west. 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° | 2° | 1,368 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,145 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 2° | 8° | 923 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | 5° | 13° | 701 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 10° | 20° | 478 km |
| 7 | Visible to the south-south-west | 21° | 36° | 256 km |
| 8 | Visible to the south-south-west | 72° | 80° | 33 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 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) next 24 h camera in Heathcote Valley 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 Heathcote Valley 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.
A noticeably darker area starts about 10 km to the south-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 14° above the horizon towards the south-south-west. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 7 instead of Kp 6. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the south-south-west helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Heathcote Valley
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 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 | 0.2% | 48% | 9.5 h | 13° / 16°C |
| April | 0.2% | 53% | 11.0 h | 12° / 14°C |
| May | 0% | 48% | 12.0 h | 10° / 13°C |
| June | 0.3% | 40% | 12.8 h | 9° / 11°C |
| July | 0% | 39% | 12.4 h | 8° / 10°C |
| August | 0.5% | 36% | 11.5 h | 8° / 10°C |
| September | 0% | 45% | 9.9 h | 8° / 11°C |
| October | 0.2% | 46% | 8.5 h | 9° / 13°C |
Aurora nights in Heathcote Valley since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.7
- 2 June 2025 · Kp 7.0
- 1 June 2025 · Kp 7.7
- 16 April 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 October 2024 · Kp 7.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Christchurch International Airport (CHC) · 18 km
- Typical low / high in August
- 8° / 10°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 111 (free, works from mobiles without credit); 105 for non-emergency Police
- Winter driving
- NZTA advises anyone crossing alpine passes or travelling in the south and inland South Island in winter to carry chains and know how to fit them; from winter 2026 Queenstown Lakes District Council can fine drivers $750 for not fitting chains on council roads when 'chains required' signs are shown. Check NZTA Journey Planner for closures and 'chains essential' notices. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Freedom camping is allowed on DOC public conservation land unless a site is prohibited or restricted; scenic/recreation reserves are closed to it unless DOC provides a campsite, some sites are self-contained-vehicle only (from 7 June 2026 a green warrant card must be displayed), and breaches can be fined.
- Weather service
- MetService (Meteorological Service of New Zealand)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Heathcote Valley?
From Heathcote Valley the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 7 or more), usually as a glow low in the south-south-west. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Heathcote Valley?
Face south-south-west (about 196° from true north). At Kp 7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 21° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
When is the aurora season in Heathcote Valley?
Heathcote Valley 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 Heathcote Valley?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference. A noticeably darker area starts about 10 km to the south-south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Heathcote Valley?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Heathcote Valley needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3). It has happened on 71 nights since 1995.