AuroraCast Weekend Hunter
A weekend-trip planner that combines the NOAA Kp index, real-time cloud-cover radar, moon phase, and light-pollution maps to tell you the best 2-hour window and nearest dark-sky spot to catch the aurora tonight, with SMS alerts when activity spikes.
Casual aurora chasers and weekend road-trippers in the northern US and Canada
- Personalized 'go / stay home / drive 2 hours east' verdict updated every 15 minutes
- Push alerts when Kp jumps unexpectedly in your region
- Curated dark-sky driving routes with rest stops and weather overlays
- Photo tips tuned to the current moon phase and expected aurora color
Weekend aurora forecast headlines are driving 200+ CA searches and the surge is concentrated around weekend viewing windows.
Aurora apps are an active category with established players (My Aurora Forecast, Aurora Now) riding the Solar Cycle 25 surge; the May 2024 G5 storm and 2024-2026 solar max have driven sustained search interest well above 200 in CA for 'northern lights'.The Solar Cycle and Northern Lights: Why 2024-2026 Is an Exceptional ... ↗My Aurora Forecast & Alerts - Apps on Google Play ↗
Forecast functionality is crowded: My Aurora Forecast, Aurora Forecast (TINAC), Aurora Now, Aurora Alert, and Light Pollution Map already integrate Kp/aurora/light-pollution data; the 'weekend 2-hour window + SMS spike alert + dark-sky spot routing' combination is differentiated but the core components are well-served.Aurora Apps | Northern Lights Forecast & Alert Apps | Aurora Now ↗Light Pollution Map - Dark Sky on the App Store ↗
Proven willingness to pay in this category: Aurora Now sells lifetime access one-time, Aurora Alert runs weekly/monthly subscriptions, and My Aurora Forecast is a long-standing paid app — aurora chasing is a high-intent 'trip moment' spend.Aurora Apps | Northern Lights Forecast & Alert Apps | Aurora Now ↗Aurora Alert - Northern Lights Notifications | Aurora Now ↗
Solar Cycle 25 peaked in 2024/2025 and remains elevated through ~2026-2027, then drops to solar minimum around 2030-2031 before Cycle 26 peaks around 2034-2036 — gives the product roughly 2-3 years of tailwind followed by a multi-year trough in demand.The Solar Cycle and Northern Lights: Why 2024-2026 Is an Exceptional ... ↗Will 2026 bring strong auroras? What the sun's recent activity tells us ↗
All required inputs are free public data: NOAA SWPC Kp index, NWS cloud-cover radar, trivial moon-phase math, and existing light-pollution layers (VIIRS/lightpollutionmap.info); SMS via Twilio, and a 2-hour windowing score is straightforward logic — easily buildable as a small app.Light Pollution Map 2026 | Bortle Scale & Dark Sky ↗Light Pollution Map ↗