Aurora Forecast API
Build aurora apps on live data.
Pxie's aurora forecast API gives developers the live aurora oval, the chance of aurora at any location, a visibility forecast and substorm timing in clean JSON.
Plan: Builder plan.
Coverage: Anywhere on Earth, northern and southern lights.
Aurora oval API and more.
Aurora oval API
The current aurora oval for either hemisphere as a map-ready boundary line, plus an optional intensity grid, refreshed every few minutes.
Chance of aurora at any location
A 0 to 100 chance for any coordinates, with darkness, distance to the oval and the live solar wind drivers behind it.
Aurora visibility forecast
An optional block that adjusts the chance for moonlight, light pollution and cloud cover at night.
Substorm forecast
The current substorm phase, an intensity score and the estimated time window until the next burst.
Know when the aurora will surge.
What a substorm is
Most aurora is a gentle glow. A substorm is the sudden event that turns it into a bright, fast-moving display, often within minutes, and it usually fades again over one to three hours. For anyone selling or photographing the aurora, catching the start is the difference between a quiet night and the best view of the year.
What the forecast returns
The current phase (quiet, growth, watch, warning, active or recovery), a 0 to 100 intensity score, a confidence level and an estimated time window until the next burst, such as 30 to 90 minutes in the watch phase. The active phase is reported only after a burst has actually been measured, so it is never a guess.
For your exact location
Add coordinates and the response includes a local view: how dark your sky is, how close you are to the aurora band, and a plain verdict on whether, and how soon, the aurora will be above your horizon in a dark enough sky.
How developers use it
Send a push notification when the phase moves to warning, hold a tour bus until the burst window opens, or trigger a camera. Combine it with the aurora oval for a live map and the visibility forecast for moon and cloud.
Built for maps and alerts
The oval comes as a boundary line with geographic coordinates for both hemispheres, so it drops straight into any map library. Poll every few minutes for a live view, anywhere on Earth.
Coverage and updates
Anywhere on Earth, for the northern and southern lights. The oval, chance and substorm data refresh every few minutes as new solar wind and ground station data arrive. Included from the Builder plan.
Related
Oval reaching down to central Norway
Growth phase · burst likely within the hour
"Show me where the aurora oval is right now."
Pxie answers with the get_aurora_oval tool. Space weather MCP server →
Aurora Forecast API questions.
What does the aurora forecast API return?
The live aurora oval, the chance of aurora at any location, a visibility adjustment and substorm timing, all in clean JSON.
Is there an aurora oval API for maps?
Yes. The oval comes as a boundary line with geographic coordinates, plus an optional intensity grid, for both hemispheres.
How often does it update?
Every few minutes, as new solar wind and ground station data arrive.
What is a substorm forecast?
A substorm is the sudden brightening and surge of the aurora. The substorm forecast tells you which phase the system is in and the estimated time window until the next burst, so you can be ready before it starts.
Build on the aurora forecast API.
Start free, or tell us what you are building.
Developers: Aurora Forecast API docs →