Reporting what you see
Every forecast on this site is checked against what people actually saw. Your reports are how we know when the numbers are right, and when they need to move.
How to report
Once it is dark, the Tonight screen asks Can you see it right now? Tap Yes or Nothing yet.
- Yes asks how strong it is: Faint, Good, Strong or Spectacular. If you only see it on your phone's camera, tap Camera only.
- Nothing yet asks whether you can see stars, so we know whether cloud or a quiet sun was the reason.
The question appears when the sun is at least 6 degrees below the horizon, at places far enough north or south for aurora to reach.
Why an empty sky counts
A report of nothing is as useful as a bright one. If we only heard from people who saw the aurora, every forecast would look too pessimistic. The nights nobody saw anything are what keep the numbers honest.
What happens to your report
We store your answer next to the forecast we gave for that moment. Reports from many people and many nights are used to adjust the percentages everyone sees, which is what Adjusted against field reports under the big number means.
Reports are anonymous: we keep your approximate area, to about 10 km, your answer and the forecast at the time. No account and no exact location.
How often you can report
Up to five reports a night. After a report, the next one waits 45 minutes, unless the forecast changes a lot in the meantime. You can update your answer if the sky changes.