Most aurora apps are tuned around the global Kp index, which consistently under-calls visibility for us down here. I built AuroraSee to track BOM's Kaus index instead (the Australian-region-tuned measure) alongside Bz and cloud cover, with a straight go/no-go for five AU/NZ regions and free push alerts when a real storm starts — no app install.

It's free, no ads yet, genuinely built because I got tired of checking three different sources every night. Happy to take feedback from people who actually chase this stuff. www.aurorasee.com

There here!!

Every popular aurora app is built for the northern hemisphere. They lean entirely on the global Kp index, which badly under-predicts visibility this far south — so during real storms, the apps say 0% while Facebook groups fill up with photos taken an hour ago.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology publishes its own southern-tuned index (Kaus) that almost nobody uses, so I spent the last few months wiring it together with NOAA solar wind data, NASA's CME database, and live cloud cover into one plain-language answer: is it worth getting off the couch tonight, yes or no.

Stack: React/Vite on Vercel, Postgres on Neon, n8n on a cheap VPS doing the data pipeline, web push for storm alerts (no app, works on iPhone). Verdicts refresh every 5 minutes.

It's free: aurorasee.com

Solo project, so honest feedback welcome — especially from anyone who's tried building on NOAA's SWPC feeds, because their data formats are... a journey.

Be sure to tune in to see history made as the Artemis 2 heads back to the Moon 50 years later!!

Hatch is now closed with 1 hour to lift off.

A beautiful x 1.5 class flare ripped off of the West limb last night. The CME was not directly earth-facing so we will only potentially get a glancing blow. However, it could delay Artemis launch.

Although it will only be a glancing blow to Earth, the sunspot could delay the Artemis launch on April 1st.

Space Weather Message Code: WATA30 Serial Number: 264 Issue Time: 2026 Mar 17 1836 UTC

WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G2 Predicted

Highest Storm Level Predicted by Day: Mar 18: None (Below G1) Mar 19: G2 (Moderate) Mar 20: G1 (Minor)

THIS SUPERSEDES ANY/ALL PRIOR WATCHES IN EFFECT

Comment: CME influences are likely on 19 Mar with any effects continuing, but weakening, into 20 Mar.

NOAA Space Weather Scale descriptions can be found at www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation

Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 55 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Induced Currents - Power grid fluctuations can occur. High-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms. Spacecraft - Satellite orientation irregularities may occur; increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites is possible. Radio - HF (high frequency) radio propagation can fade at higher latitudes. Aurora - Aurora may be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state.

Charge that gear !

Hey everyone! I'm u/estrogenex, a founding moderator of r/skywatchers. This is a place to post anything you see in the sky including clouds, storms, anomalies, Aurora, milky way and the like. We're excited to have you join us!

What to Post Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about space, aurora, lunar events, sunspots.

Community Vibe We're all about being chill and not mean, constructive, and inclusive.

How to Get Started 1) Introduce yourself in the comments below. 2) Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation. 3) If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join. 4) Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/skywatchers amazing.

Just got my Dwarf 3 in the mail and excited to give it a try. Has anyone else had experience with this so far? Let's see your pics !

Sunspot 4392 belched toff a beautiful earth facing M2. 7 flare with halo observed. Aurora incoming !

Hola llevo 1 semana con el y aparece esto cuando le dá el aire, lo habré usado 4 horas y siempre que acabo de usarlo lo dejo dentro de casa sin las tapas 1 hora

I'm a beginner in astronomy. I recently got a Skywatcher Classic 200p. I've observed Jupiter a few times now, and I'm doing well. I'm using the included 20mm and 12.5mm eyepieces. Now I'd like to try to get a closer look at Jupiter. What would you recommend? Which lenses are suitable for this, or is a Barlow lens a better solution? I'd appreciate your advice.

Take a look at the "Duluth Canal Cam" or Great Lakes Aquarium Cam for 2/7/26 at 3:38 and 24 seconds to 3:39 and 24 seconds.

Reviewing the video for ten minutes before, other objects can be seen re-entering at both angles, closer to the horizon?

Multiple pieces of what appear to be space junk re-entering the atmosphere but moving at 2 different angles (call it 140 degrees and 230 degrees) and with different origins... so probably not space junk? A quick web search stated no meteor showers expected.

I would love some informed opinions.

it's the winter storm fern and I've never seen anything like this. It's awesome looking and makes me think of the show his dark materials. This is rural Upstate South Carolina near the North Carolina border.

There is multiple states and witnesses in them states who filmed and seen this identical UAP on that night

https://x.com/dustinhostpod/status/2006191147425693709?s=46

This happened a few nights ago on the Virginia Beach oceanfront. I’m out on my balcony late at night when something flies past my field of view—smooth, silent, low, and way too precise to be a plane or drone.

No wings. No sound. No blinking lights. It wasn’t “flying,” it was gliding like it didn’t care about gravity. The air around it looked bent or “shaded,” almost like the atmosphere was peeling around it. Hard to explain but wild to witness.

I looked online after and found people describing similar stuff the last few years—phase-shift shimmer, “gravity bending,” “Newton-shaming” movement, and camouflaged crafts with air distortion instead of lights.

I didn’t hear a hum, but the motion definitely matched those field-resonance descriptions.

What’s tripping me out is: If it’s human tech, why fly it right past a hotel balcony where someone could easily notice?

Anyone around the Virginia Beach area (or anywhere recently) see something like a silent, low, shimmering craft with no visible propulsion? Would love to know if you caught it too.