About
Mission, privacy, data sources and contact
Safety-first aurora intelligence
Aurora Core helps aurora chasers decide when and where to go, using space weather, cloud cover, darkness and safety data. It is independent and privacy-first, and built on public scientific data.
Safety comes first. Forecasts can be wrong and are for planning only. Aurora Core is not an official warning service: always follow local authorities and put your own safety first.
Privacy · your data is never sold or tracked
- We don't collect personal data. No accounts, no cookies for tracking, no analytics.
- We don't use tracking pixels or fingerprinting scripts.
- Your location and searches go only to our own Weather Core servers. They are used for your forecast and never stored as a history.
- One optional exception, off by default: if you turn on official weather warnings, our server passes your approximate location (about 1 km) to the national weather service. Coordinates only, never your identity.
- Space-weather data from NOAA reaches you through our own relay. NOAA never sees your requests, and we add no identifiers.
- Your settings (language, units, spot) stay in your browser, on your device.
- We don't sell data. We have no data to sell.
- If ads come one day, they will be contextual only: no tracking, no profiling.
- If you email us, we use your message only to reply.
- This policy is written in plain language on purpose.
Data sources & credits
Everything Aurora Core shows comes from public scientific and government sources. For each one: what we use it for, its licence and the credit it asks for.
- NOAA SWPC (opens in new tab)Kp index, solar wind, IMF Bz, aurora oval (OVATION), WSA-ENLIL modelPublic domainNOAA SWPC
- NASA IMAP I-ALiRT (opens in new tab)Back-up real-time solar wind when NOAA's feed stopsNASA open dataCourtesy of NASA
- WDC for Geomagnetism, Kyoto (opens in new tab)Dst storm index (real-time, provisional), relayed by NOAAScientific use, credit requiredWorld Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto University
- NASA DONKI (CCMC) (opens in new tab)Solar flare and CME alertsNASA open dataCourtesy of NASA / CCMC
- NASA SDO · ESA/NASA SOHO (opens in new tab)Sun images, coronagraph loops (LASCO)NASA open data · ESA/NASACourtesy of NASA/SDO · SOHO (ESA & NASA)
- ECMWF (opens in new tab)Cloud cover and weather forecastsCC BY 4.0© ECMWF
- NOAA GFS (opens in new tab)Weather forecasts and windPublic domainNOAA
- DWD ICON (opens in new tab)Weather forecasts and windDWD open dataDatenbasis: Deutscher Wetterdienst, eigene Bearbeitung
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (opens in new tab)Rain radar over Canada, Canadian warningsECCC open data licenceData Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
- NOAA MRMS · EUMETNET/OPERA · JMA (opens in new tab)Rain radar over the US, Europe and JapanPublic domain · CC BY 4.0 · JMA termsNOAA · © EUMETNET/OPERA (modified) · Source: JMA website (modified)
- NOAA/NESDIS · EUMETSAT · JMA (opens in new tab)Satellite images (GOES, Meteosat, Himawari)Public domain · CC BY 4.0 · JMA termsNOAA/NESDIS/STAR, CIRA · © EUMETSAT · Source: JMA website (modified)
- NASA Black Marble (opens in new tab)Light pollution layer (2024 data)NASA open dataCourtesy of NASA
- NWS · MET Norway · SMHI · MeteoAlarmOfficial weather warnings (optional, off by default)Public domain · CC BY 4.0 · issuer's termsEach warning names its issuer
- GeoNames (opens in new tab)Place searchCC BY 4.0GeoNames
- OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab)Map dataODbL© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Aurora webcamsLive cameras on the mapOwner's termsEach camera is credited to its owner
Map display: MapLibre and Protomaps (open-source, BSD licence). Map credits are always shown on the map itself.
Built for everyone
Status indicators use icons, labels and shapes, never colour alone. The site works with a keyboard, is built to work with screen readers, and respects reduced motion.
Advertising
There are no ads today. If ads come one day, they will be contextual only: no tracking, no profiling, no data sold to advertisers.
Community & support
Join the Discord
Share live sightings and photos, talk about forecasts, report bugs and suggest features. Chat in English.
Join on Discord (opens in new tab)Buy us a coffee
Aurora Core is free, with no accounts and no tracking. Servers, storage and data processing cost money every month. A one-time tip of any amount helps keep it running.
Buy us a coffee (opens in new tab)Secure payment on Stripe. We never see your card details. A tip is not a charitable donation and gets no tax receipt.
Contact
Questions, ideas or bug reports: [email protected]
We use your message only to reply.