Community
Photo & Community Guidelines
Sightings tell other people near you that the aurora is out right now. That only works if every photo is real, recent and local.
What to share
- A photo you took of the aurora, in the last 2 hours, from where you are now.
- The original photo from your camera or phone, as a JPEG. On iPhone, set Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible, or take it with the camera button inside Aurora Radar.
- Night-mode and long-exposure shots are welcome, as are basic crops and straightening.
What's not allowed
- AI-generated, AI-enhanced or composited images, including sky replacements. Rejected automatically when detected, and repeat attempts may be blocked.
- Old photos, other people's photos, screenshots or photos of screens.
- Photos that show identifiable people without their permission, car number plates in focus, or private homes up close.
- Anything illegal, hateful, sexual, violent, or unrelated to the aurora.
How we check photos
- Time — the capture time in the photo must be within the last 2 hours.
- Place — the photo's location (or your phone's, if the photo has none) must match where you are.
- Darkness — the sun must have been well below the horizon.
- Plausibility — aurora must have been possible there at that time, based on the NOAA forecast and Kp.
- Authenticity — we look for AI-generation markers (such as IPTC "trained algorithmic media" and content-credential tags) and editing software.
Photos that pass everything appear straight away as Verified. Photos with a small doubt (for example, edited in Lightroom, or no camera details) are held for review and only appear if a moderator approves them. Photos that fail a check are rejected and not stored.
Your privacy
Before publishing, we remove all metadata from the photo (GPS, camera, dates) and round the location to about 5 km. See the Privacy Policy.
Reporting and removal
If you see a photo that breaks these guidelines, or shows you or your property, email support@creativelyapps.com with the time and place shown. We aim to review reports within 48 hours. You can remove all your own photos at any time with "Delete my data" in the app.