Aurora Borealis fills the screen with a dark sky, twinkling stars, and slow bands of green and purple light. Use it when you want a gently moving background on a monitor, TV, tablet, or phone — there is nothing to set up, and it never asks for access to your camera or microphone.
Before you start
- Use a browser with graphics acceleration turned on. Aurora draws a lot of moving light, so it needs that setting enabled to run smoothly.
- Choose a screen that can stay visible. It works best on a second display, wall-mounted screen, or tablet where the movement will not sit behind your main work.
- Dim competing room lights if you want the color to show. The effect is mostly dark with bright aurora bands, so strong overhead light can wash out the screen.
- Decide whether you want the movement calm or noticeable. Speed is the only setting Aurora offers, so pick the pace before you leave it running.
Set it up
- Open the Aurora Borealis effect on the screen you want to use.
- Select Go Fullscreen so the aurora fills the whole display. If your browser refuses true fullscreen, the effect still expands to fill the window.
- Move the mouse to show the fullscreen controls, then open the settings panel.
- Set Speed low for slow ambient movement, or higher when you want the curtains to move more visibly.
- Move the mouse away. The fullscreen controls fade out after five seconds without mouse movement.
You'll know it worked when the screen shows a black sky with small stars and flowing aurora bands moving across the display. Press Escape or select Exit Fullscreen to leave fullscreen.
What each control does
| Control | Range | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | 1–100 | 40 | How fast the aurora drifts across the screen. Low values give a slow, barely-moving glow; high values make the bands sweep past noticeably. |
Aurora Borealis has no Brightness or Color Temperature controls. If the screen is too bright for a dark room, turn down your monitor or device brightness. If it is the movement that bothers you, lower Speed rather than the brightness.
You can also add a logo from the Logo tab. Its position, size, opacity, and the image itself are remembered in this browser on this device. Speed is not — it returns to its default whenever you reload.
Common setups
- Quiet room background. Set Speed around 10–20 and lower your display brightness if the screen pulls too much attention. This keeps the aurora visible without making the room feel busy.
- Relaxation or meditation screen. Set Speed around 15–30, select Go Fullscreen, and move the mouse away so the controls fade. Use a larger screen at a comfortable distance rather than placing a bright phone close to your eyes.
- Stream or video-call background on a second monitor. Set Speed around 25–40. Angle the screen so it is in the camera frame only if you actually want viewers to see the moving background.
- Event or lobby ambiance. Set Speed around 35–55 on a TV or display that people pass by. Faster motion reads better from across a room, but avoid 80–100 if viewers need to read signs or other content nearby.
Troubleshooting
The screen stays black with no aurora. Turn on graphics acceleration in your browser settings, then reopen the effect. If that device still cannot manage it, Full Screen Light is a much simpler effect that works almost anywhere.
The movement is distracting. Speed is set too high for the situation. Bring it down toward 10–25 for calm ambient use, especially on a large monitor or TV. If viewers still notice it too much, move the screen farther away or choose a static background effect.
The controls disappeared in fullscreen. That is expected. Fullscreen controls fade after five seconds without mouse movement so they do not sit on top of the effect. Move the mouse to bring back Exit Fullscreen and the settings button.
The colors look faint in the room. Aurora is mostly dark sky with bands of color, so bright room lighting or a dim screen will wash it out. Turn down the overhead lights, raise your display brightness, or move the screen out of direct glare.
The tabs and address bar are still showing after selecting Go Fullscreen. Some browsers will not hand over the whole screen, particularly when the page is embedded in another site. Open the effect on its own page and select Go Fullscreen there. If your browser still refuses, the aurora will fill the window even though the tab bar stays visible.
Next steps
Use Fireplace when you want warm ambient motion instead of cool northern-lights colors. Use Color Gradient when you need a static or brand-colored background with direct color controls.