Northern Lights Alerts & Monitoring via the Nexus 10: Jan 17/18

Ever wondered how to know whether it's worth going Northern Lights watching on a particular night? With a few free web apps, the process is quite easy. The screenshots included in this post are from my Nexus-10, but the same apps and services are also available via the iPad and iPhone.

Your first task is to sign up for a free email alert from the University of Alaska. I just received an alert early this morning advising me to look towards the heavens tonight! See today's email (click to view full size)

(University of Alaska web site ... sign up for alerts)

Once you know that the solar conditions are good for viewing, you need to know how things are in your neighborhood. This is my process:

Confirm the Northern Lights forecast
What's the moon phase (bright moonlight is a bummer!)
Will the night sky be clear (Weather Channel App)

Screenshots for items 1 and 2 follow ... post continues below images. Click to maximize.

Northern Lights / Moon Phase Daily Forecast Screenshots

Aurora Forecast App (links to app: iOS | Android)

Moon Phases: There are many free moon phase apps for both iOS and Android

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Assuming items #1 through #3 are favorable, I then use these two methods as night time approaches

What is the hourly Northern Lights forecast?
How does the Ovation Map look? (southern viewing limits via Ovation Aurora)

Here are the final three screenshots. The first two images are from my Nexus 10, taken on January 17th at 1pm CST for the hourly forecast and the Ovation Map. I plan to view these sites again tonight around 9 pm. Finally, you may be curious to see an image from my Nexus 10 desktop (leisure apps). Click upon any image to view at full size.

Hourly Forecast / Ovation Aurora Map

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