I remember well how it felt the first time I saw the Northern Lights. I had seen photos, of course; everyone has done that at some point. But nothing prepares you for that moment itself. That silence, that color above your head, the feeling that you are experiencing something bigger than yourself.
Since then, I have been tracking the solar wind almost every evening, and I wanted to share that habit. Noorderlicht Vandaag is the live blog that resulted from that. Every hour, from 17:00 to 01:00, my system automatically analyzes what the solar wind is doing, based on the knowledge I have built up about it. Not a bare percentage that is useless, but an honest account of the probability at that moment.
You can find that live blog in the app, along with the current figures (Bz, Bt, speed, and density) for those who want to follow the details themselves. Under 'Netherlands', you can see the situation for the Northern Netherlands, because there is occasionally something to see there while the rest of the country misses out. And via the webcams in Lapland, you can watch along immediately to see if there is anything to see.
In addition to the live blog, you can view the chances of seeing the Northern Lights on the map using an aurora radar.
Turn on push notifications and you will receive an alert as soon as the Northern Lights are visible on one of the webcams. This way, you don't have to constantly refresh yourself; my system takes care of that for you.
This app originates from norns.nl, where I also write about travel to Lapland and Iceland, and where, separate from the app, you can sign up for a separate email alert for the Netherlands and Belgium.
The app itself is free to use.
Live blog about the Northern Lights: hourly updates, webcams and NL status.