Why might you still miss auroras after a good forecast?

Answer: Clouds and bright skies hide them

You must hear them first — Wrong. There are occasional reports of aurora-related sounds, but they are rare and not required for observation. Most aurora viewing has nothing to do with hearing anything.

Auroras only show on cameras — Wrong. Cameras can often detect faint colors better than human eyes, especially with longer exposure times, but auroras are real light phenomena in the sky. If the display is strong enough and the sky is dark enough, people can absolutely see it directly.

Clouds and bright skies hide them ✓ — Correct! A good aurora forecast only means the space-weather side looks favorable. You still need a dark, clear sky to actually see the display. Clouds can block the whole sky, city lights can wash out faint auroras, moonlight can brighten the background, and twilight can make weak auroras disappear to the eye. In other words, “aurora happening” and “you can see it” are not the same thing.