Northern lights in Georgia: can you see them, and tonight's chances

How strong a storm each city in Georgia needs

The farther a place is from the magnetic pole, the stronger the geomagnetic storm needed to push the aurora into view. These levels come from each city's geomagnetic latitude and NOAA's storm scale, which says how far south aurora is usually seen at each level. They are for aurora low on the northern horizon from a dark spot; overhead displays need more. Across Georgia the level ranges from Kp 8.4 (G4) in Athens to Kp 9 (G5) in Valdosta.

City	Geomagnetic latitude	Aurora usually needs
Athens	42.9°	Kp 8.4 (G4)
Roswell	43°	Kp 8.4 (G4)
Rome	43.2°	Kp 8.4 (G4)
Atlanta	42.7°	Kp 8.5 (G4)
Augusta	42.4°	Kp 8.5 (G4)
Macon	41.8°	Kp 8.6 (G4)
Columbus	41.4°	Kp 8.7 (G5)
Savannah	41°	Kp 8.8 (G5)
Albany	40.5°	Kp 8.9 (G5)
Valdosta	39.8°	Kp 9 (G5)

How these levels are worked out: our methods.

Can you see the northern lights in Georgia?

Only during the biggest storms. NOAA’s scale says severe storms have reached Alabama and extreme storms Florida. North Georgia may catch a faint glow during a severe storm, and south Georgia needs an extreme one, which comes only a few times per 11-year solar cycle. The table above compares tonight’s forecast with each city’s level.

What May 2024 showed

The May 10–11, 2024 storm was the strongest in more than two decades. NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 16 showed curtains of aurora over farmland about 15 miles north of Bainbridge, in southwest Georgia. The APOD caption called it an unfamiliar sight for southern Georgia nights. NASA also says the storm’s auroras reached the southern US, with reports down to about 26 degrees magnetic latitude.

Where to look

Okefenokee State Park: a certified International Dark Sky Park in southeast Georgia.
North Georgia mountains: the most northerly part of the state. Pick an overlook with a clear view north, since ridges hide the low sky.
Rural south Georgia farmland: wide, flat fields far from towns, like the spot in the APOD photo.

Tips

Use your camera. At Georgia’s latitude a phone’s night mode often shows the aurora when your eyes see little.
Look low in the north. The aurora seldom rises high in the sky this far south.
Escape the Atlanta glow. The metro area brightens the sky for many miles around.

Read how to see the northern lights and browse certified dark-sky places. Neighbors: Tennessee and Florida.

Dark-sky places near Atlanta

Certified dark-sky places are among the best spots to watch for aurora: little light pollution and, often, open views to the north.

Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (International Dark Sky Park, 2020): 133 miles NE of Atlanta.

Obed Wild and Scenic River (International Dark Sky Park, 2017): 164 miles N of Atlanta.

Pickett CCC Memorial State Park & Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area (International Dark Sky Park, 2015): 193 miles N of Atlanta.

Mayland Earth to Sky Park & Bare Dark Sky Observatory (International Dark Sky Park, 2014): 196 miles NE of Atlanta.

Okefenokee State Park (International Dark Sky Park, 2016): 236 miles SE of Atlanta.

Questions and answers

Can you see the northern lights in Atlanta?

Only during the biggest storms, and the city's light hides nearly all of it. North Georgia's mountains and rural areas outside the metro area give a much better chance.

Is Okefenokee good for the aurora?

Okefenokee State Park is a certified International Dark Sky Park, so the sky is very dark. It lies in far south Georgia, though, so it needs an extreme storm.

Why did the aurora look pink in Georgia?

From this far south you mostly see the top of the aurora, where oxygen glows red, as NOAA explains. That is why photos from Georgia often show red or pink tones low in the north.

Northern lights in Georgia

Tonight's northern lights forecast