Just another WordPress site

Star Scoreboard

Aurora alert: northern lights possible tonight

NOAA forecasts a geomagnetic storm (Kp 5). The northern lights may be visible as far south as about 55°N, which includes 6 of our cities, as far south as Juneau, AK, where skies are clear and dark. Look north after dark, away from city lights. Aurora forecasts are uncertain, so this is a rough guide.

Where are the skies clear tonight?

Great viewing in 137 cities. Ontario, CA leads at 97%.

Tonight’s viewing conditions in 363 US cities: clear skies through the dark hours, and moonlight. Updated Thursday 11:08 PM ET.

Latest Hello world!

Tonight’s sky, nationwide

MoonWaning crescent, 9% lit
PlanetsEvening: Saturn. Before dawn: Mars, Jupiter
Meteor showerLeonids peak Nov 17, in 12 daysUp to about 15 meteors an hour under dark skies
AuroraStorm level: possible as far south as about 55°NNOAA Kp forecast 5

Best viewing tonight (137)

  1. OntarioCA97 percent viewing score98% clear, dark from 6:19 PMMoon rises 3:59 AM.
  2. AnaheimCA96 percent viewing score97% clear, dark from 6:19 PMMoon rises 3:59 AM.
  3. BoiseID96 percent viewing score97% clear, dark from 7:08 PMMoon rises 4:58 AM.
  4. CoronaCA96 percent viewing score96% clear, dark from 6:19 PMMoon rises 3:59 AM.
  5. FontanaCA96 percent viewing score97% clear, dark from 6:18 PMMoon rises 3:58 AM.

All cities by state, tonight

AlabamaBest: Mobile, 81%
AlaskaBest: Anchorage, 50%
ArizonaBest: Tucson, 81%
ArkansasBest: Little Rock, 90%
CaliforniaBest: Ontario, 97%
ColoradoBest: Greeley, 50%
ConnecticutBest: Hartford, 24%
DelawareBest: Wilmington, 17%
District of ColumbiaBest: Washington, 21%
FloridaBest: Palm Bay, 92%
GeorgiaBest: Savannah, 62%
HawaiiBest: Honolulu, 44%
IdahoBest: Boise, 96%
IllinoisBest: Rockford, 13%
IndianaBest: Evansville, 73%
IowaBest: Cedar Rapids, 19%
KansasBest: Wichita, 60%
KentuckyBest: Louisville, 68%
LouisianaBest: New Orleans, 95%
MaineBest: Portland, 26%
MarylandBest: Ocean City, 34%
MassachusettsBest: Boston, 29%
MichiganBest: Grand Rapids, 19%
MinnesotaBest: International Falls, 77%
MississippiBest: Jackson, 84%
MissouriBest: Springfield, 47%
MontanaBest: Missoula, 70%
NebraskaBest: Lincoln, 11%
NevadaBest: Las Vegas, 95%
New HampshireBest: Manchester, 26%
New JerseyBest: Paterson, 21%
New MexicoBest: Santa Fe, 51%
New YorkBest: Albany, 50%
North CarolinaBest: Wilmington, 48%
North DakotaBest: Bismarck, 53%
OhioBest: Cincinnati, 79%
OklahomaBest: Oklahoma City, 65%
OregonBest: Bend, 56%
PennsylvaniaBest: Pittsburgh, 67%
Rhode IslandBest: Providence, 19%
South CarolinaBest: Hilton Head Island, 55%
South DakotaBest: Sioux Falls, 5%
TennesseeBest: Memphis, 92%
TexasBest: Beaumont, 89%
UtahBest: St. George, 83%
VermontBest: Killington, 33%
VirginiaBest: Virginia Beach, 45%
WashingtonBest: Spokane, 25%
West VirginiaBest: Charleston, 42%
WisconsinBest: Madison, 29%
WyomingBest: Jackson, 51%

The viewing score is Star Scoreboard’s own measure: the clear-sky forecast through the hours of full darkness, based on National Weather Service cloud cover forecasts, reduced when a bright Moon is up. It doesn’t account for city lights. The Moon is calculated with standard astronomical formulas. Planet positions courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech; the aurora outlook is from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Star Scoreboard is not affiliated with NASA, NOAA or the National Weather Service.