Live · NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
Southern lights in New Zealand and Tasmania
The aurora australis is the same light round the south magnetic pole. From Tasmania and New Zealand's South Island it shows low over the southern horizon when Kp climbs.
- Kp now
- …Loading NOAA's data
- Highest in the next 24 h
- …
Loading NOAA's OVATION nowcast…
Tonight, town by town
Each town's corrected geomagnetic latitude and the Kp that brings the aurora onto its southern horizon or overhead, on NOAA's rule, with tonight's verdict from NOAA's forecast for its hours of darkness. Clouds are not included.
| Town | Geomag. latitude | On the horizon from | Overhead from | How often (NOAA) | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oban (Stewart Island) | 54.6° | Kp 3.5 | Kp 5.7 (G1) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Invercargill | 54.0° | Kp 3.7 | Kp 6.0 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Dunedin | 53.1° | Kp 4.2 | Kp 6.5 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Queenstown | 52.6° | Kp 4.5 | Kp 6.7 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Lake Tekapo | 51.2° | Kp 5.2 (G1) | Kp 7.4 (G3) | G1: about 900 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
| Christchurch | 50.3° | Kp 5.6 (G1) | Kp 7.9 (G3) | G1: about 900 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
| Wellington | 47.6° | Kp 6.9 (G2) | beyond Kp 9 | G2: about 360 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
| Hobart | 53.7° | Kp 3.9 | Kp 6.1 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Launceston | 52.2° | Kp 4.7 | Kp 6.9 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Melbourne | 48.6° | Kp 6.5 (G2) | Kp 8.7 (G4) | G2: about 360 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
What the local experts say
Look south
NOAA: "Find a place where you can see to the north (or south if you are in the southern hemisphere)." From here the aurora sits low over the southern horizon unless the storm is strong.
NOAA Space Weather Prediction CenterWatches and alerts
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issues Aurora Watches, "warnings with lead times of up to 48 hours", and Aurora Alerts "when space weather activity favourable for viewing aurora is in progress".
Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Space Weather ServicesLower K, lower latitude
The Bureau: "The larger the K index, the greater the chance of seeing an aurora at lower latitudes." Southland and Stewart Island need the least, Melbourne the most.
Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Space Weather ServicesThe season
Winter (May to August here) gives the longest nights. The Met Office notes that the best viewing is typically around the equinoxes, in March and April and in September and October.
Met Office blogHow dark it gets, month by month
Hours with the Sun more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month, which is dark enough for the aurora to show, and the middle of the night on the local clock in midwinter. "None" means the aurora cannot be seen even when it is there.
| Town | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Darkest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oban (Stewart Island) | 6 h | 8 h | 9 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 6 h | 5 h | 00:49 |
| Invercargill | 6 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 6 h | 5 h | 00:49 |
| Dunedin | 6 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 7 h | 5 h | 00:40 |
| Queenstown | 6 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 7 h | 6 h | 00:48 |
| Lake Tekapo | 6 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 9 h | 7 h | 6 h | 00:40 |
| Christchurch | 7 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 9 h | 7 h | 6 h | 00:32 |
| Wellington | 7 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 12 h | 12 h | 10 h | 9 h | 7 h | 6 h | 00:23 |
| Hobart | 7 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 12 h | 12 h | 10 h | 9 h | 7 h | 6 h | 00:12 |
| Launceston | 7 h | 8 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 12 h | 12 h | 10 h | 9 h | 7 h | 6 h | 00:13 |
| Melbourne | 7 h | 9 h | 10 h | 11 h | 12 h | 13 h | 12 h | 11 h | 10 h | 9 h | 8 h | 7 h | 00:22 |
Check your own town
Anywhere in the world: your geomagnetic latitude, what it takes there, tonight's dark hours and NOAA's forecast for them.
Aurora alerts by email
Free, and only on nights the forecast brings the aurora within reach of your sky. Checked once a day.
Kp, the last day and the next three
NOAA's planetary Kp in three-hour blocks. From Kp 5 it is a geomagnetic storm.
Questions
What Kp do I need to see the southern lights in New Zealand and Tasmania?
It depends on the town. Oban (Stewart Island) needs about Kp 3.5 for the aurora low on the southern horizon and Kp 5.7 (G1) for overhead. Wellington needs about Kp 6.9 (G2) for the aurora low on the southern horizon and more than Kp 9 for overhead. The table on this page has every town. These come from NOAA's rule of thumb (the oval's edge at about 66° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 0, 2° nearer the equator per Kp step) with 500 km of horizon, which NOAA calls approximate. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
When is it dark enough?
Every month has some darkness at these towns, longest in midwinter. The months table on this page shows the hours. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
What time of night is best?
NOAA: "Best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 PM and 2 AM local time)." In midwinter the darkest hours here are centred near 00:49 on Oban (Stewart Island)'s clocks. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
Which way should I look?
South. NOAA: "Find a place where you can see to the north (or south if you are in the southern hemisphere)." Further from the oval it shows only low over that horizon, and a camera records more than the eye. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Met Office)
How often does it happen?
NOAA counts about 900 days per 11-year solar cycle at G1 (Kp 5), 360 at G2 (Kp 6) and 130 at G3 (Kp 7). Towns that need no storm can see it on many clear, dark nights; NOAA notes "very nice auroral displays even with low geomagnetic activity (Kp = 3 or 4)" from the right place. (NOAA SWPC, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
Sources
The Kp each town needs is NOAA's rule of thumb applied to its corrected geomagnetic latitude (AACGM-v2 at 110 km, 2026), with 500 km of horizon. The dark hours are worked out from the Sun's position. Quotes are from the pages below, read in October 2026.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center: Tips on viewing the aurora
- NOAA SWPC: Space weather scales (G1 to G5)
- NOAA SWPC: Planetary Kp, observed and 3-day forecast (data feed)
- NOAA SWPC: Aurora, 30-minute forecast (the OVATION model)
- Shepherd, S. G. (2014): Altitude-adjusted corrected geomagnetic coordinates (AACGM-v2), J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics 119, 7501
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Space Weather Services: Aurora
- Met Office blog: What are the Northern Lights and what causes them?
- Met Office: Auroras
More places: UK and Scotland · Norway and Scandinavia · Iceland · Canada · Alaska and the northern US. Photography tips and the full forecast are on northern lights tonight.