Reading the colours
Lumina uses colour consistently throughout the app so you can read conditions at a glance, without having to study the numbers. There are two main gradients — one for aurora activity, one for how good each viewing condition is — plus a set of short coloured labels used on badges and status tags.
Aurora activity colours
The probability percentage and the activity indicators that feed into it change colour based on how active conditions are. The scale runs from cool grey-blue when things are quiet, through teal as activity picks up, into green for a decent chance, amber for strong conditions, pink for very favourable, and finally violet during an exceptional storm.
| Colour | Probability | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Slate grey | 0 – 15% | Quiet — no significant aurora activity expected |
| Teal | 15 – 30% | Low — conditions are marginal; worth keeping an eye on |
| Green | 30 – 50% | Decent chance — consider heading out if conditions allow |
| Amber | 50 – 70% | Strong — elevated activity; good time to watch |
| Pink | 70 – 85% | Very strong — aurora very likely; get outside |
| Violet | 85 – 100% | Exceptional — major storm conditions |
The colour shifts gradually as the probability changes — there's no sudden jump when it crosses a threshold, so you'll see it slowly warm from grey toward violet as conditions build.
Where you'll see it
- The large probability percentage on the main aurora card
- The sparkline trend lines
- Individual activity driver readings (IMF coupling, Newell, HP)
- The aurora oval elevation reading
Viewing condition colours
Separate from the aurora activity scale, Lumina uses a red-to-green scale for anything that measures how good a viewing condition is — cloud cover, moon illumination, light pollution, and similar. Green always means the condition is in your favour; red means it's working against you.
| Colour | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Unfavourable — this condition is hurting your chances | Heavy cloud cover, bright full moon |
| Orange | Mixed — some impact, but not a deal-breaker | Partial cloud, half moon |
| Green | Favourable — this condition is helping you | Clear sky, new moon, dark site |
The colour shifts smoothly between red and green, so you can see at a glance how much any individual factor is helping or hindering a night out.
Where you'll see it
- Cloud cover and atmospheric seeing score
- Moon illumination and moon phase icon
- Light pollution reading for your location
- Aurora oval elevation indicator
- The individual condition bars in the viewing recommendation
Coloured labels and badges
Across the app you'll also see short coloured labels attached to readings and data sources — things like "Southward", "Stale data", or "G2 storm". These use a fixed set of colours rather than a gradient, where each colour signals a specific kind of status.
| Colour | Meaning | Example labels |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Good / favourable | Strong southward Bz, high hemispheric power |
| Amber | Caution / marginal | Stale data, fluctuating IMF |
| Red | Unfavourable / problem | No data, northward Bz |
| Blue | Informational | HP rising, propagation delay notice |
| Purple | Tips and context | Substorm caution, model notes |
Where you'll see it
- Space weather condition labels (e.g. "Southward", "Strong")
- Data freshness warnings
- CME and geomagnetic storm classifications
- Substorm alert indicators