Aurora Borealis - OreCruncher/BetterRain GitHub Wiki

Auroras are special nighttime features that are spawned by Dynamic Surroundings if a player is standing in a biome that is considered a polar type region. Examples of such biomes are Taiga and Ice Plains. Auroras a strictly visual and do not affect game play or mechanics.

An aurora will spawn based on the following conditions:

• The player’s dimension has a sky.
• There isn’t another aurora within 400 blocks of the player.
• The player is standing in a polar biome.
• It is nighttime.
• The brightness of the Aurora is influenced by the moon’s brightness.

In general the Aurora spawns north of the current player location. However, on multiplayer servers it is possible that the Aurora can be in a different cardinal direction if it already has spawned because of another player. Auroras are reset/cleared when daytime occurs, and will be newly generated when it again turns night. Note that a player can see an Aurora even thought they may not be in a polar biome.

Aurora behavior on a client can be customized by the player. A player can choose to disable Auroras independent of the server settings. Also, a server owner can disable Auroras meaning that no players attached to the server will have them.

aurora {
    # Animate Aurora [default: true]
    B:Animate=true

    # Whether to enable Aurora processing on server/client [default: true]
    B:Enabled=true

    # true to keep the aurora at a height above player; false to fix it to an altitude [default: true]
    B:"Height Player Relative"=true

    # Allow Auroras with multiple bands [default: true]
    B:"Multiple Bands"=true
}

A polar biome is a biome that has one of the following words in it’s name: “taiga”, “frozen”, “ice”, “tundra”, “polar”, “snow”, or “glacier”.

To find out more information about what Dynamic Surroundings thinks of a biome look at the log file that is generated by Minecraft/Forge. The following is an example of what can be found. In my case I had the Enhanced Biome mod installed when I was testing.

Biome 129 [Sunflower Plains]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 175 [Volcano M]: NONE 
Biome 37 [Mesa]: DUST 
Biome 68 [Scrub]: NONE 
Biome 7 [River]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 12 [Ice Plains]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 62 [Mountainous Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 131 [Extreme Hills M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 149 [Jungle M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 26 [Cold Beach]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 180 [Alpine Mountains M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 32 [Mega Taiga]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 52 [Alpine Mountains]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 45 [Cypress Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 76 [Blossom Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 2 [Desert]: DUST 
Biome 102 [Marsh]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 86 [Alpine Mountains Edge]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 166 [Mesa Plateau F M]: DUST 
Biome 187 [Woodland Lake Edge]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 34 [Extreme Hills+]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 59 [Ephemeral Lake Edge]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 67 [Rocky Desert]: DUST 
Biome 90 [Clay Hills]: NONE 
Biome 134 [Swampland M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 160 [Mega Spruce Taiga]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 51 [Meadow]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 156 [Birch Forest Hills M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 57 [Sandstone Canyon]: DUST 
Biome 64 [Tropical Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 88 [Rocky Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 92 [Fens]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 15 [MushroomIslandShore]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 96 [Woodland Field]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 130 [Desert M]: DUST 
Biome 65 [Frozen Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 80 [Mountains Edge]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 43 [Woodlands]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 36 [Savanna Plateau]: NONE 
Biome 158 [Cold Taiga M]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 183 [Snowy Wastelands]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 16 [Beach]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 100 [Lake]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 91 [Mangroves]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 73 [Rainforest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 171 [Forested Mountains]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 14 [MushroomIsland]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 60 [Boreal Plateau]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 6 [Swampland]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 95 [Silver Pine Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 163 [Savanna M]: NONE 
Biome 97 [Aspen Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 162 [Extreme Hills+ M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 1 [Plains]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 20 [Extreme Hills Edge]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 173 [Cold Cypress Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 8 [Hell]: NONE 
Biome 75 [Blossom Woods]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 33 [Mega Taiga Hills]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 103 [Alpine Tundra]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 165 [Mesa (Bryce)]: DUST 
Biome 38 [Mesa Plateau F]: DUST 
Biome 179 [Meadow M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 189 [Cold Pine Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 40 [Forested Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 21 [Jungle]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 41 [Pine Forest Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 132 [Flower Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 185 [Stone Canyon]: NONE 
Biome 77 [Oak Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 94 [Silver Pine Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 55 [Wastelands]: DUST 
Biome 35 [Savanna]: NONE 
Biome 10 [FrozenOcean]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 105 [Red Desert]: DUST 
Biome 140 [Ice Plains Spikes]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 89 [Shield]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 164 [Savanna Plateau M]: NONE 
Biome 83 [Steppe]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 24 [Deep Ocean]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 170 [Ice Sheet]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 79 [Mountains]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 178 [Roofed Shrublands]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 56 [Sandstone Canyons]: DUST 
Biome 31 [Cold Taiga Hills]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 48 [Plateau]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 54 [Fir Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 104 [Snowy Ranges]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 27 [Birch Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 82 [Xeric Savannah]: NONE 
Biome 44 [Woodland Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 81 [Scree]: NONE 
Biome 18 [ForestHills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 186 [Woodland Lake]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 9 [Sky]: NONE 
Biome 72 [Oasis]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 49 [Sandstone Ranges]: DUST 
Biome 17 [DesertHills]: DUST 
Biome 46 [Boreal Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 181 [Snowy Desert]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 19 [TaigaHills]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 85 [Low Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 135 [Riparian Zone]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 61 [Pine Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 101 [Clearing]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 87 [Glacier]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 63 [Desert Archipelago]: DUST 
Biome 176 [Snowy Plateau]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 133 [Taiga M]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 167 [Mesa Plateau M]: DUST 
Biome 157 [Roofed Forest M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 172 [Forested Valley]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 174 [Cold Boreal Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 182 [Cold Fir Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 99 [Basin]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 25 [Stone Beach]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 47 [Volcano]: NONE 
Biome 84 [Prairie]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 0 [Ocean]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 151 [JungleEdge M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 98 [Aspen Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 155 [Birch Forest M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 184 [Stone Canyons]: NONE 
Biome 188 [Boreal Plateau M]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 42 [Polar Desert]: DUST AURORA
Biome 3 [Extreme Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 69 [Creek Bed]: NONE 
Biome 74 [Rainforest Valley]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 93 [Carr]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 23 [JungleEdge]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 50 [Shrublands]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 28 [Birch Forest Hills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 71 [Badlands]: NONE 
Biome 78 [Kakadu]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 106 [Xeric Shrubland]: NONE 
Biome 5 [Taiga]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 30 [Cold Taiga]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 66 [Grassy Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 168 [Flowery Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 4 [Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 22 [JungleHills]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 13 [Ice Mountains]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 29 [Roofed Forest]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 70 [Sahara]: DUST 
Biome 39 [Mesa Plateau]: DUST 
Biome 53 [Tundra]: PRECIPITATION AURORA
Biome 58 [Ephemeral Lake]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 169 [Boreal Archipelago]: PRECIPITATION 
Biome 177 [Sandstone Ranges M]: DUST 
Biome 11 [FrozenRiver]: PRECIPITATION AURORA

Credit has to be given to MrRube and his Aurora Rubealis mod for 1.4.7 Minecraft. This mod shaped the functionality within Dynamic Surroundings and gave good examples of how Auroras can work.

Check this page out for why auroras have the colors they do.

• An Aurora may not display correctly if you are using an external shader pack. You will have to a) use the internal shaders, or b) disable auroras in your config. The problem is display and does not affect game stability.