The honest aurora forecast — and the voyage to see it
Chase the Northern Lights. Then go meet them.
A free aurora app that only says go when the sky is actually dark, clear and active — no crying wolf. And when you're ready to truly see them, Jo plans the Arctic voyage to get you there.
Free · No ads · No tracking · Built on live NOAA & NASA data.
What should you do about the aurora?
Two questions, two answers — whether the lights might show tonight, or you want to go and meet them this season.
Tonight
Should I go outside tonight?
Strong chance after dark — clear skies and a low moon over Tromsø.
Sample score — the free app calls it live, wherever you are.
This season
Where should I go to truly see them?
Norway & SvalbardOct – MarTromsø, Lofoten & a Norwegian coastal voyage — the classic first aurora trip.
GreenlandSep – AprVast, remote and dark — icebergs beneath the lights, by small ship.
IcelandSep – MarClosest to the UK — waterfalls and black-sand coasts under the aurora.
Finnish LaplandSep – MarFrozen forests, snow lakes and reliable dark Lapland under the auroral oval.
Every trip planned by Jo, from real Arctic experience.
Trip matcher
Find my best aurora trip.
Three quick choices, one honest starting point. Jo can refine the route, dates and ship from there.
Your best match
Norway & Svalbard
Best first aurora trip
The classic match: dramatic scenery, strong aurora odds, coastal-voyage comfort and Jo's deepest personal experience.
Referral only. True Frontier In Action does not book travel or take payment.
Most aurora apps cry wolf.
They ping you the moment there's solar activity — even when it's cloudy, daylit, or a full moon. You drive out, freeze, and see nothing. True Frontier In Action is different: it only says go when you'll actually see something.
Activity × Darkness × Clear sky × Moon
= your real chance tonight
One honest number. Go, or don't.
We fuse geomagnetic activity, solar wind, darkness, cloud and moonlight into a single Tonight Score. Darkness and cloud are hard gates — so a brilliant aurora behind cloud scores near zero, exactly as it should.
See how the score works →How the score is built
- DarknessHard gate
No dark sky, no score — daylight and deep twilight wash it out.
- Clear skyHard gate
Cloud is an opaque lid — a roaring aurora behind it scores near zero.
- MoonPenalty
A bright moon dims faint displays — it can tip a marginal night to “no”.
- Solar activityThe engine
The geomagnetic energy that drives the lights — vital, but never enough on its own.
What makes it different
It tells the truth
The only score that gates on whether you can actually see it — darkness, cloud and moon included. No more false alarms.
It respects you
No account, no ads, no tracking. It works offline and lives on your phone, not on a server.
It tells you where to look
A live compass points to the aurora, with elevation and a red-light field mode for the cold and dark.
Honest expectations
See what your eyes will see vs what your camera will catch — so you're thrilled, not let down.
It plans ahead
Best moonless nights, a 3-night outlook, and a trip planner for chasing the lights anywhere.
Real science, free
Live NOAA space-weather, Open-Meteo cloud and NASA solar imagery, in five languages.
Forecasting is the start. The Arctic is the destination.
The most reliable way to see the aurora is to go where it lives — above the Arctic Circle, far from city light, on a small ship that can chase clear skies. Jo Sehgal — an Arctic expedition-cruise specialist — designs Northern Lights voyages to Norway, Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic.
- Small ships, big skies
- Expert-guided
- Tailored to aurora season
Forecast
Install the app. Get an honest go/no-go every night, wherever you are.
Plan
Tell us your dream Arctic window. We'll match you to a voyage and the dates with the best aurora odds.
Go
Sail to the Arctic with Jo's help and stand beneath the lights — with the app in your pocket.
Real Arctic experience — not a brochure.
Jo has travelled these routes, inspected ships, joined expedition sailings and helped travellers understand what Arctic travel is really like. Photography on this site includes personal images taken by Jo and Sandy during Arctic travels over many years, alongside selected destination imagery.
In a traveller's own words
“Jo suggested Greenland when I wasn't sure I could face Antarctica. Without that trip I'd never have had the confidence to go — it launched my whole polar journey: Greenland four times, Antarctica three.”
Valerie · a returning solo polar traveller
Questions
Is the app free?
Yes — the forecast, the Tonight Score and basic alerts are free, and we intend them to stay free. Season 1 is free for everyone, with every feature unlocked. A paid Pro tier is planned for Season 2026-27; it isn't on sale yet.
Do I need a cruise to use the app?
Not at all — the app stands alone. But if you want the best possible chance, an Arctic voyage is hard to beat. We don't book travel ourselves; with your consent we pass your enquiry to Jo Sehgal, a specialist at an ATOL-protected travel company, who takes it from there.
Who arranges the journeys?
Jo Sehgal — an Arctic expedition-cruise specialist — designs and arranges the voyages through an ATOL-protected travel company. We publish the app and the journeys and pass your enquiry to Jo; we don't book travel ourselves.
When's the best time to see the aurora?
Roughly late August to March, around the equinoxes. Solar Cycle 25 passed its smoothed maximum in October 2024, so we're past the peak — but the years just after maximum are historically strong for aurora, because recurring fast solar-wind streams favour geomagnetic activity around the equinoxes. No night is ever guaranteed.
Curious about Pro? See full pricing →