About Solar Ruler
Solar Ruler was created to give people a simple, beautiful way to visualize real-time aurora activity around the world. Many aurora tools are technical, difficult to understand, or cluttered with data. The goal here is to make something anyone can use at a glance.
This project pulls data from NOAA. They provide current data that allows us to provide a current OVATION model and display it as an easy-to-read illuminated aurora band. The globe is interactive, allowing visitors to explore Earth and see where auroral activity is strongest. Below is a graph that shows how the aurora is displayed on the interactive globe.
Aurora Visualization Explanation
Using this site will hopefully lead you to an opportunity to witness the incredible natural light show that is the aurora borealis or aurora australis. Whether you are a seasoned aurora chaser or a curious newcomer, Solar Ruler aims to be a helpful tool in your aurora viewing adventures. The image below was captured using this tool on November 11th, 2025 NorthEast of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Aurora as viewed on Nov 11th, 2025
The Aurora has always been a source of wonder and inspiration for humanity. By providing an accessible way to visualize auroral activity, Solar Ruler hopes to inspire more people to look up and experience the magic of the northern and southern lights.
Ultimately, Solar Ruler is a labor of love for the natural world and the awe-inspiring phenomena it offers. The incredible way that God knit this universe together is on full display with the aurora, and we hope this tool helps more people appreciate and seek out this breathtaking spectacle.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: make real-time aurora data accessible to everyone. Most space weather tools are built for scientists — packed with charts, indices, and jargon that can overwhelm a casual skywatcher. Solar Ruler translates that complexity into a single, intuitive globe that anyone can read at a glance. If the green band is over your region and it's dark outside, go look up.
The Technology Behind Solar Ruler
Solar Ruler pulls live data from NOAA's OVATION Aurora Forecast model and renders it on a 3-D interactive globe using WebGL. The aurora oval is refreshed regularly so you always see a current picture of geomagnetic activity. Beyond the globe, the site offers free Kp-based email alerts, a Tonight's Sky planet-visibility guide, a moon-phase calendar, live aurora camera feeds, solar weather monitoring, and an upcoming eclipse tracker — all powered by publicly available scientific data.
Who We Are
Solar Ruler is built and independently operated by Team Thine Alone in Minnesota. What started as a passion project to make aurora forecasting more accessible has grown into a full-featured tool used by aurora enthusiasts around the world. We are committed to keeping Solar Ruler free, accurate, and easy to use.
We are a small, independent team driven by a love of the night sky and a belief that the wonders of space weather should not be locked behind technical barriers. Every feature on Solar Ruler — from the glossary to the live camera page — is designed with everyday aurora chasers in mind. If you have a question or idea, we'd love to hear from you.