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Tonight's aurora verdict — Ballarat
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Live Kp index and 24-hour forecast
Current planetary Kp
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Tonight's cloud cover — Ballarat
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Cloud cover forecast unavailable.
Solar wind right now
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Nearest dark-sky viewing spot
Aireys Inlet (Split Point Lighthouse)
1 h 30 min south from Ballarat
Great Ocean Road clifftop with Bass Strait horizon — Melbourne's most photographed aurora site.
See all Victoria viewing spotsBallarat's inland elevation at 435 m and lower light pollution than Melbourne make it a surprisingly capable Aurora Australis base. From the Lal Lal Reservoir and Mount Buninyong lookouts, Ballarat residents can see camera-detectable aurora glow at planetary Kp 5 and clearly visible displays at Kp 6. Heading south to the Great Ocean Road or south-west to the Otways gives Bortle 3 skies and unobstructed Southern Ocean horizons within 90 minutes. The current 2024–2026 solar maximum has brought repeated G3–G5 storms visible from regional Victoria. This page shows tonight's planetary Kp, the 24-hour outlook and Ballarat's cloud cover.
Kp index — what it means in Australia
The planetary Kp index runs 0–9. Higher Kp pushes the aurora further from the magnetic pole, making it visible from lower latitudes.
Kp 0–3 — Quiet
No aurora visible from mainland Australia. Possible faint glow at extreme southern Tasmania.
Kp 4 — Unsettled
Camera-only horizon glow possible from southern Tasmania.
Kp 5 (G1) — Minor storm
Visible aurora across Tasmania. Faint glow on horizon from Victoria, South Australia and far-south WA.
Kp 6 (G2) — Moderate storm
Bright aurora overhead in Tasmania. Clearly visible from VIC, SA and southern WA coasts.
Kp 7 (G3) — Strong storm
Vivid colour visible from VIC/SA/WA. Reaches as far north as Sydney and Perth.
Kp 8 (G4) — Severe storm
Aurora visible from NSW, WA and southern QLD. Once-a-year event.
Kp 9 (G5) — Extreme storm
Aurora visible from the entire continent including Brisbane and Darwin. Once-a-decade event.
Related forecasts & resources
Aurora Ballarat — Frequently asked questions
Live Kp, OVATION map and storm alerts from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. Australian context from the Bureau of Meteorology Space Weather Services. Cloud cover forecast from Open-Meteo.
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