Live aurora forecast

Northern lights in St Helens tonight

Northeast Tasmania, Australia · 52° magnetic latitude · Kp 4 threshold

Aurora visibility · St Helens
1/9
Unlikely tonight

Kp 1 is well below the Kp 4 threshold needed for aurora to be visible from St Helens.

QuietStormExtreme
Threshold
Kp 4
Magnetic latitude
~52°S
Bz ↓ south
- nT
Solar wind
- km/s
Density
- p/cm³
Cloud
-
Conditions right now: - Kp + Bz + solar wind + cloud + moon

Updated: 12 Jul, 22:50 UTC

7-day outlook for St Helens

Today
12 Jul
1
Quiet
Tomorrow
13 Jul
3
Unlikely
Tue
14 Jul
3
Unlikely
Wed
15 Jul
3
Unlikely
Thu
16 Jul
3
Unlikely
Fri
17 Jul
3
Unlikely
Sat
18 Jul
3
Unlikely

Based on CME arrival predictions from NASA DONKI. Arrival times ±6 hours.

auroratonight.space

What Kp is needed here?

St Helens sits at a magnetic latitude of approximately 52°S. The Kp index - a global measure of geomagnetic activity on a scale from 0 (quiet) to 9 (extreme storm), updated every 3 hours - needs to reach Kp 4 before the auroral oval expands far enough north to be visible from here.

At Kp 4, visibility is possible from St Helens but skies need to be clear and dark. Cloud cover and light pollution remain the main obstacles even when Kp is high enough.

Plan your viewing

Best dark sky sites near St Helens

Light pollution is the biggest obstacle after cloud cover. These sites give you the best dark southern horizon within reach.

Bay of Fires

Get directions ↗
Bortle Class 2-3 - Excellent dark sky 25 km north of St Helens - approximately 25 minute drive

One of Tasmania's most distinctive coastlines - white beaches, turquoise water, and orange lichen-covered granite boulders. The Bay of Fires faces east over the Tasman Sea. Aurora australis appears in the south to southeast from beach positions. At night the bay has no artificial light visible. Bortle Class 2-3 conditions. The Eddystone Point lighthouse at the northern end gives the furthest south-facing position in the bay. Anson's Bay and Binalong Bay at the southern end are more accessible and still face south-southeast over open water. The beaches are dark and quiet at night - no towns within 20 km to the east or south.

Binalong Bay

Get directions ↗
Bortle Class 2-3 - Excellent dark sky 10 km north of St Helens - approximately 10 minute drive

A small bay at the southern end of Bay of Fires, easily accessible from St Helens. The beach faces east and south-east with granite headlands. At night the bay is quiet and dark - minimal lighting from the small cluster of holiday houses. The southern horizon is open across George Bay and beyond. Position on the beach south of the houses for the best sky. At Kp 4, aurora australis is visible to the south-southeast from this position during a clear night. The lichen-covered boulders give distinctive foreground options for aurora photography.

Mount William National Park

Get directions ↗
Bortle Class 2 - Excellent dark sky 45 km north of St Helens - approximately 45 minute drive

A remote national park at the northeastern tip of Tasmania. Eddystone Point within the park has a lighthouse on a granite headland facing north and east over open Tasman Sea. The southern headlands of the park give south-facing positions across open water. Bortle Class 2 conditions - no towns within 50 km to the east or north. The park road is partly unsealed and requires a standard vehicle in good condition. Forester kangaroos are common on the road at night - drive carefully. The combination of coastal position, open horizon, and Bortle Class 2 sky makes this the highest-quality dark sky site directly accessible from St Helens.

When to go

Best time to see the aurora australis in St Helens

St Helens's aurora australis season runs from April through August, centred on the southern winter when nights are longest and darkest. The equinox months of March and September bring a boost in geomagnetic activity. Summer months bring too much twilight for aurora to show at this latitude.

Activity peaks around the March and September equinoxes, when Earth's magnetic field geometry is most favourable for coupling with the solar wind. These windows produce the strongest aurora australis events of the year for observers at this latitude.

October through February brings persistent twilight that washes out the aurora australis. Strong events during these months remain invisible because the sky never gets dark enough.

Up to 8 locations

St Helens

Australia

Unlikely
Kp 1 need Kp 4
Checking darkness…
Launceston

Australia

Unlikely
Kp 1 need Kp 5-6
Checking darkness…
Hobart

Australia

Unlikely
Kp 1 need Kp 5-6
Checking darkness…
The odds

How often does the aurora appear in St Helens?

Average nights per month the Kp reached St Helens's threshold of 4+, from 15 years of geomagnetic data (2010–2024).

3.9Jan
4.2Feb
5.2Mar
4.7Apr
4May
3.4Jun
3.8Jul
4.7Aug
5Sep
4.8Oct
3.9Nov
3.5Dec

Counts the Kp 4+ threshold only - cloud cover and local darkness are not included.
Kp data: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, CC BY 4.0

Make it happen

Plan your trip to St Helens

Based on 15 years of geomagnetic data (2010–2024)

1st
March
5.2
avg aurora nights
Stay 9+ nights for 80% chance
2nd
September
5.0
avg aurora nights
Stay 9+ nights for 80% chance
3rd
October
4.8
avg aurora nights
Stay 10+ nights for 80% chance

Best window

The August to October window averages 15 aurora nights - the strongest consecutive stretch of the year.

How long to stay

For your best chance in March, plan at least 9 nights.

Aurora activity peaks at the March and September equinoxes in both hemispheres. This is driven by the angle of Earth's magnetic field relative to the solar wind, not by local seasons. Winter months at this latitude offer longer dark nights for observing, but March and September average the highest number of aurora nights in the historical data.

From the community

Aurora photographs from St Helens

Real photos sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Aurora over St HelensAurora over St Helens
Aurora over St HelensAurora over St Helens
Aurora over St HelensAurora over St Helens
Aurora over St HelensAurora over St Helens
Aurora over St HelensAurora over St Helens
Aurora over St HelensAurora over St Helens
Questions

Common questions about aurora in St Helens

Can you see aurora australis from St Helens?
Yes. St Helens sits at 52°S magnetic latitude on Tasmania's northeast coast and needs Kp 4 for aurora australis. The Bay of Fires and Mount William National Park give Bortle Class 2-3 dark sky with south-facing ocean positions. Aurora australis appears to the south and south-southeast from the beaches. Tasmania's position as Australia's premier aurora state means the Kp 4 threshold here compares favourably to the Kp 5-7 needed from mainland locations.
What Kp is needed for aurora at St Helens?
Kp 4 from Bay of Fires and Mount William National Park. At 52°S magnetic latitude, St Helens is equivalent to Launceston and Devonport for aurora threshold. Kp 4 events are moderate geomagnetic activity and occur regularly during solar maximum. The dark sky advantage at Bay of Fires (Bortle Class 2-3) means faint aurora structure is detectable here at lower Kp than from more light-polluted sites at the same latitude.
Is Bay of Fires a good aurora location?
Yes, for aurora photography in particular. The orange lichen-covered granite boulders and white beaches give an unusual and distinctive foreground. The coastline faces east to south-southeast, so aurora appears to the south of the viewing direction on the south beach sections. Binalong Bay is the most accessible and still gives Bortle Class 2-3 conditions. Eddystone Point at the north end of the bay gives more southerly exposure but requires a longer drive. The bay is quiet at night with minimal light from the small holiday community.
When is the best time for aurora in St Helens?
May to August for the longest dark nights. Tasmania's northeast at 41.3°S geographic has around 13 hours of darkness in mid-winter. The September equinox is statistically the most active geomagnetic period. The northeast coast of Tasmania tends to be clearer than the west coast and southwest, making St Helens and Bay of Fires more reliably accessible during winter. Check BOM forecasts and compare with Launceston for current conditions.
How does St Helens compare to Launceston for aurora?
Both sit at approximately 52°S magnetic latitude and share a similar Kp 4 threshold. The difference is sky darkness and horizon access. Launceston is a city with a significant light dome; its best dark sky positions (Ben Lomond, Bay of Fires) require a long drive. St Helens is a small coastal town with Bay of Fires 10-25 km north and Mount William National Park 45 km away. For aurora observers based in northeast Tasmania, St Helens outperforms Launceston as a base simply because the dark sky is closer.
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