Aurora Borealis Simulator

This aurora borealis simulator brings the northern lights to your screen, with colorful curtains of light flowing across a starry night sky. Sit back and watch, or tune the colors, motion, and sound to set the mood you want.

The aurora forms when charged particles from the sun meet Earth's atmosphere. This simulator recreates that glow using layered noise and rendering, so the display keeps shifting and never repeats the same way twice. It runs right in your browser with nothing to download, making it an easy aurora screensaver, ambient background, or calming visual for relaxation.

Private by design: all rendering and sound are generated locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and your settings are saved only on your own device.

How to Use the Simulator

The aurora starts on its own with the Classic Green theme. Enjoy it as is, or customize the scene in a few clicks.

Pick a color theme

Click a color dot at the top to switch the aurora's palette: Classic Green, Blue Violet, Pink Magenta, Red Crimson, or Multi-color.

Adjust intensity and speed

Use the Intensity slider to control how bright and thick the bands appear, and the Speed slider to set how fast the curtains drift. Each has three levels.

Toggle the extras

Turn Shooting Stars and the Horizon silhouette on or off, then enable Ambient Sound and set the volume for a gentle wind backdrop.

Go fullscreen and relax

Use the fullscreen button for an unbroken view. The controls fade away after about three seconds of stillness; move the mouse or tap the screen to bring them back.

Features

Realistic Aurora Animation

Curtains are built from simplex noise across stacked layers, so the light flows organically and keeps shifting like a real aurora.

5 Color Themes

Classic Green, Blue Violet, Pink Magenta, Red Crimson, and Multi-color, each inspired by real aurora phenomena.

Twinkling Star Field

Hundreds of stars in varied sizes and color temperatures fill the sky, with soft glow halos and diffraction spikes on the brightest.

Shooting Stars

Optional meteors streak across the sky with glowing trails. Switch them on or off whenever you like.

Horizon Silhouette

A generated mountain and forest outline grounds the scene along the bottom, lit by a subtle glow from the aurora above.

Intensity & Speed Control

Three intensity levels set brightness and thickness, while three speed levels control how quickly the curtains drift.

Ambient Wind Sound

Gentle wind, generated with the Web Audio API, adds an immersive layer. A volume slider and one-tap mute keep it under your control.

Auto-Hiding Controls & Fullscreen

Controls fade after about three seconds of stillness for an unobstructed view, and fullscreen mode makes a clean ambient display.

Saved Preferences

Your theme, intensity, speed, toggles, and volume are remembered in your browser, so the scene returns exactly as you left it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes the aurora borealis?

The northern lights appear when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere. Green is the most common color, produced by oxygen; blue-violet and pink hues come from higher altitudes, and red appears during especially strong solar storms.

Can I change the aurora colors?

Yes. Click any color dot at the top to switch instantly between five themes: Classic Green, Blue Violet, Pink Magenta, Red Crimson, and Multi-color. Each one is drawn from real aurora observations.

Does it work fullscreen as a screensaver?

Yes. Enter fullscreen for the best experience. The controls auto-hide after a few seconds, leaving a clean, uninterrupted aurora that works well as an ambient background or screensaver.

Is it free and online with no download?

Yes. The simulator runs entirely in your browser online. There is nothing to install or sign up for; just open the page and the aurora starts on its own.

Can I add shooting stars and ambient sound?

Yes. Use the Shooting Stars toggle for occasional meteors, and the Ambient Sound toggle for a gentle wind backdrop. Most browsers need a click or tap before playing audio, so press the sound button after the page loads and keep the volume above zero.

Does it use a lot of battery or CPU?

The rendering is optimized, but any continuous animation uses some GPU and CPU. If you notice high usage, lower the intensity or speed, or turn off shooting stars to ease the load.

Is my data collected?

No. Everything is rendered and generated in your browser, and nothing is sent to any server. Your chosen theme and settings are stored locally on your device.