I’m lucky to live in a location with little light pollution, making stargazing and looking for the northern lights easier and more fun. In 2024, it looks like there will be increased solar activity, which could lead to increased auroral visibility and intensity this year. I’m looking forward to (hopefully) seeing the northern lights more often and taking more photos like the one below.
Over time, I have used quite a few apps and websites to help me view the beauty of the night sky where I live. Here are a few of my favorite night sky apps and sites!
1. Night Sky App
Name: Night Sky
Developer: iCandi Apps Ltd.
Cost: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)
Features include…
- 360-degree AR planetarium showing stars, constellations, planets, satellites, and more
- Information and photos of objects you are seeing in the night sky (found by tapping on the ‘i’ icon next to the object)
- Stargazing conditions at your location
- Night sky quizzes
- Add personal sky tags to objects to save and come back to later
- Available on Apple devices
- Free or premium version
2. NASA App
Name: NASA
Developer: NASA
Cost: Free
Features include…
- Access to thousands of NASA images and videos
- Updates on NASA missions
- Unlimited access to NASA+ content, with no subscription (includes official live coverage and original video series)
- Set up an alert for when the International Space Station flies over your location
- Info on recent discoveries by NASA
- Experience NASA rockets and rovers via AR
- No in-app purchases
Any fans of space and astronomy will find the NASA app interesting, and it’s completely free to use! There is so much information available on this app, including written content, live streams, videos, images, and so much more. I like looking at NASA’s image of the day and scrolling through their latest news articles.
3. My Aurora App
Name: My Aurora Forecasts and Alerts
Developer: JRustonApps B.V.
Cost: Free
Features include…
- Choose your location
- KP index
- World aurora map
- Best locations to view the northern lights right now
- 30-minute forecasts
- Long-term forecasts
- Cloud coverage
- Tour information
- Live aurora webcams from across the globe
- Solar wind statistics
- Photo gallery
- Free push notifications
- No in-app purchases
- Available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices
4. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center - Aurora 30 Minute Forecast
Link: AURORA – 30 MINUTE FORECAST
This site is free to access and perfect if you want to view a short-term aurora forecast without downloading an app. It includes a map of both the north and south poles and shows a forecast of aurora location and intensity for the next 30 to 90 minutes.
5. SPACE.com
Link: SPACE.com
SPACE.com, which has been around since 1999, provides info on all things space and astronomy. Articles are free to view/read and include a plethora of information related to space events, astronomy news, the latest discoveries, stargazing, and more. I really enjoy their articles about stargazing, like this night sky guide for January 2024.
