Live aurora forecast
Northern lights in Chile tonight and this season
Live aurora odds for 1 place in Chile, the Kp each one needs, the season, and the guided tours that pass the catalogue filter. Data: NOAA SWPC, refreshed every 15 minutes.
In short
Northern lights in Chile need Kp 9 or more at Punta Arenas, the best placed of the 1 spot on this page by geomagnetic latitude (-44.0°). The southern lights season in Chile is the austral winter, with the longest nights from May to August. The probability over each place right now comes from the NOAA OVATION model and refreshes every 15 minutes, with the time of the last fetch shown under each figure.
Key points
- Kp needed: 9 at Punta Arenas, by geomagnetic latitude
- 1 place in Chile with a live OVATION probability on this page
- Aurora probability over Punta Arenas refreshes every 15 minutes with the fetch time shown
- No guided aurora tour in the catalogue passes the filter yet
- Kp forecast for the next 3 days in 3-hour slots, from NOAA SWPC
On this page
1Aurora over Punta Arenas right now
Data: NOAA SWPC, fetched 09:11 UTC. Aurora probability by destination from the NOAA OVATION model, forecast for 9 Oct, 10:15 UTC. Aurora also needs a dark and clear sky. Kp needed: NOAA puts the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic latitude for Kp 0, 2° closer to the equator per Kp level. Geomagnetic latitude from the WMM2025 dipole pole (NOAA NCEI).
2Why Chile for the northern lights
Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan is Chile's southern aurora point, with the same geomagnetic handicap as Ushuaia: the southern magnetic pole is far away, so only a severe storm pushes the oval this far. Winter nights from June to August are the long ones.
Data: NOAA SWPC, fetched 09:11 UTC. Aurora probability by destination from the NOAA OVATION model, forecast for 9 Oct, 10:15 UTC. Aurora also needs a dark and clear sky. Kp needed: NOAA puts the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic latitude for Kp 0, 2° closer to the equator per Kp level. Geomagnetic latitude from the WMM2025 dipole pole (NOAA NCEI).
3The Kp each place in Chile needs
The table ranks the places in Chile by geomagnetic latitude, which is what decides how strong a storm has to be before the auroral oval reaches them. NOAA puts the edge of the oval at about 66 degrees geomagnetic for Kp 0 and moves it 2 degrees toward the equator per Kp level. The full method, including why the figure is conservative, is on the data and method page.
4Kp forecast for the next 3 days
| UTC | Fri 9 Oct | Sat 10 Oct | Sun 11 Oct | Mon 12 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00-03 | 4.00 | 4.67 G1 | 3.00 | |
| 03-06 | 3.67 | 5.67 G2 | ||
| 06-09 | 3.00 | 4.33 | ||
| 09-12 | 3.67 | 3.00 | 3.00 | |
| 12-15 | 4.67 G1 | 1.67 | 2.67 | |
| 15-18 | 5.00 G1 | 2.33 | 2.33 | |
| 18-21 | 6.00 G2 | 2.67 | 2.00 | |
| 21-00 | 5.67 G2 | 2.67 | 2.67 |
Data: NOAA SWPC. Slots before now are NOAA estimates, the rest are predicted values.
5When to see the northern lights in Chile
The southern lights season in Chile is the austral winter, with the longest nights from May to August.
6Northern lights tours in Chile
No guided aurora tour in Chile passes the catalogue filter of at least 4.3 stars and 20 reviews on Viator right now, so this page shows the live odds and the Kp needed instead.
| Place | Latitude | Geomagnetic latitude | Kp needed | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Arenas | 53.2° S | -44.0° | 9 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole, checked on 9 Oct 2026.
Latest northern lights posts
Frequently asked questions
Can you see the northern lights in Chile?
Yes, when the Kp index reaches the level a place needs and the sky is dark and clear. Punta Arenas needs Kp 9 or more by the NOAA rule used on this site, and Punta Arenas needs Kp 9. The live probability for each place in Chile is on this page and refreshes every 15 minutes.
What Kp index do you need for the northern lights in Chile?
Kp 9 or more at every place on this page. The figure comes from geomagnetic latitude: NOAA puts the edge of the auroral oval at about 66 degrees for Kp 0 and moves it 2 degrees toward the equator per Kp level, and it is conservative, because NOAA also notes that aurora is often visible hundreds of kilometres equatorward of that edge. The data and method page explains the calculation and its limits.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Chile?
The southern lights season in Chile is the austral winter, with the longest nights from May to August. Clear, dark nights matter as much as the Kp, so the cloud forecast for the dates decides the real view.
Which place in Chile has the best aurora odds tonight?
The cards on this page rank the 1 place in Chile by the NOAA OVATION probability for the current forecast hour. All of them need the same Kp, so the OVATION figure and the local cloud decide, and the cards refresh every 15 minutes.
Are there guided northern lights tours in Chile?
No guided aurora tour in Chile passes the catalogue filter of at least 4.3 stars and 20 reviews on Viator right now. The page shows the live odds and the Kp needed so a visit can still be timed with the forecast.
Does Chile have polar night or midnight sun?
No. Punta Arenas lies north of the Antarctic Circle, so every winter night is dark. The limiting factor for the southern lights in Chile is the Kp index, which only a strong storm pushes high enough.
Sources (3)
Sources
- NOAA SWPC, tips on viewing the aurora, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- NOAA SWPC, OVATION aurora forecast model, checked on 9 Oct 2026
Written and maintained by the Kp Forecast editorial team. Independent site, not a space weather agency. Data: NOAA SWPC.
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