Tracking the Northern Lights with Home Assistant’s Aurora Integration
If you live anywhere in Northern Europe, you already know the feeling. There is a sudden alert. You make a quick glance outside. Maybe, just maybe, the sky lights up.
The Aurora integration in Home Assistant is built exactly for that moment. Instead of relying on separate apps or websites, you can bring aurora forecasts directly into your smart home and automate around them.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how the integration works. We will explore what components it exposes. You’ll learn how to build a useful automation that actually helps you catch the northern lights.
What the Aurora Integration does
The Aurora integration uses data from NOAA’s aurora forecast service. It estimates whether the northern lights might be visible at your location in the next 30 minutes.
It continuously evaluates solar activity and translates that into a simple probability score based on your latitude and longitude. The integration updates every five minutes, so it’s responsive enough for real-world use.
At its core, this is a prediction tool. It doesn’t guarantee visibility, but it gives you a strong signal when conditions are worth checking.
How to Set It Up
Unlike older Home Assistant integrations, Aurora is configured through the UI, not YAML.
To add it:
- Go to Settings → Devices & Services
- Click Add Integration
- Search for Aurora
- Follow the setup flow
That’s it. No API keys, no manual configuration.
You can also add multiple locations if you want to monitor different areas, which is useful if you travel or have a cabin further north.
Components Created by the Integration
Once installed, the Aurora integration adds two key entities for each location.
1. Binary Sensor
Entity type: binary_sensor
This is the simplest and most useful component.
- State:
onoroff - Meaning:
on= high probability of aurora visibilityoff= low probability
By default, the sensor turns on when the probability exceeds 75%.
This is ideal for automations because it acts as a clean trigger.
2. Probability Sensor
Entity type: sensor
This gives you a numeric value between 0 and 100.
- Unit: percentage (%)
- Example:
63%means moderate likelihood
This sensor is useful for dashboards or more advanced automations where you want to react differently depending on how strong the forecast is.
Understanding the Threshold
The default threshold is 75%, but you can change it in the integration options.
Lowering the threshold means:
- More alerts
- Earlier warnings
- Possibly more false positives
Raising it means:
- Fewer alerts
- Higher confidence when triggered
For most people in Norway, Sweden, or Finland, a threshold between 60–80% works well. The effectiveness depends on how often you want notifications.
A Practical Automation Example
Let’s build something useful.
Goal:
- Notify you when aurora conditions are good
- Only alert in the evening or night
- Avoid spamming you
Example: Push Notification When Aurora Is Likely
automation:
- alias: "Aurora Alert"
description: "Notify when northern lights may be visible"
trigger:
- platform: state
entity_id: binary_sensor.aurora_visibility
to: "on"
condition:
- condition: time
after: "18:00:00"
before: "02:00:00"
action:
- service: notify.mobile_app_phone
data:
title: "Aurora Alert 🌌"
message: >
High chance of northern lights right now.
Current probability: {{ states('sensor.aurora_probability') }}%How This Works
- The automation triggers when the binary sensor flips to
on - It only runs between 18:00 and 02:00
- It sends a notification with the current probability
This is simple, but effective. You won’t miss strong events, and you won’t get alerts during the day.
Making It Smarter
Once you have the basics working, you can refine it further.
Add Weather Conditions
Aurora visibility doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy.
You can add a condition using a weather entity:
- condition: numeric_state
entity_id: weather.home
attribute: cloud_coverage
below: 40This ensures you only get alerts when the sky is relatively clear.
Use Different Alert Levels
Instead of a single notification, you can react differently based on intensity.
Example idea:
- 60–75% → silent notification
- 75–90% → normal alert
- 90%+ → loud alert or lights flashing
action:
- choose:
- conditions:
- condition: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.aurora_probability
above: 90
sequence:
- service: light.turn_on
target:
entity_id: light.living_room
data:
brightness: 255
color_name: green
- conditions:
- condition: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.aurora_probability
above: 75
sequence:
- service: notify.mobile_app_phone
data:
message: "Aurora likely visible now!"Turn It Into a “Go Outside” Routine
You can go beyond notifications.
For example:
- Turn on outdoor lights briefly
- Pause media playback
- Send alerts to multiple devices
The Aurora integration works best when it becomes part of a wider “event response” in your home.
Dashboard Ideas
The probability sensor is perfect for dashboards.
You can:
- Show a gauge (0–100%)
- Combine with weather data
- Add historical graphs
This gives you a quick visual sense of how conditions are evolving over the evening.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
The Aurora integration is powerful, but not perfect.
- It’s based on forecasts, not direct observation
- Local weather still matters
- Light pollution can reduce visibility
- The 30-minute prediction window is short
Still, it’s one of the easiest ways to integrate real-world phenomena into your smart home.
Why This Integration Is Worth Using
What makes Aurora stand out is how well it fits into automation.
It’s not just data. It’s actionable.
Instead of checking apps manually, your home tells you when something interesting is happening outside. That’s exactly what Home Assistant is meant to do.
Final Thoughts
If you live in a region where auroras are possible, this integration is a must-have.
It’s simple to set up, lightweight, and surprisingly useful. More importantly, it connects your smart home to something real and unpredictable.
And when that alert comes in on a cold night, you’ll be glad you set it up.
Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links", a link with a special tracking code. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. The price of the item is the same whether it is an affiliate link or not. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers. By using the affiliate links, you are helping support our Website, and we genuinely appreciate your support.
