In order to more easily judge the numbers they have been colored according to their relative activity level. The levels are:
- No Data (⬤)
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Very High
- Extreme
Each level is based on the measured values according to the table below.
< 550
> 0 |
Others |
> 400
< −5 |
> 500
< −10 |
- |
| |
|
< −20 |
< −25 |
|
| < 5 |
< 10 |
< 15 |
< 20 |
> 20 |
| < 10 |
< 20 |
< 50 |
< 100 |
> 100 |
| Daylight |
Strong Twilight |
Strong Moon |
Weak Moon |
Dark Sky |
Please select the correct timezone on the Location tab.
By doing so all times will be shown in the selected (local) timezone. When no selection is made UTC is used.
To more easily see what is happening right now, the current timeslot is highlighted in purple.
Abnormal arrival times are also marked in blue. This can happen if the solar wind increases in speed within a relatively short amount of time, causing it to overtake what has already passed the point of measurement.
Rows that are semi-transparent contain incomplete measurements. Not all required data has arrived yet and the information is likely to still change.
Kp
Planetary K-index, providing an estimated level of magnetic disturbance. It is an indication of the potential for Aurora activity. The Kp-index comes from the standard 3-day NASA forecast.
ETA
Estimated time of arrival in Earth's atmosphere after measuring the solar wind characteristics. Measurement is done by satellites at 1.5 million km away from Earth towards the Sun (1% of the total Earth-Sun distance).
Speed (km/s)
The speed at which the solar wind particles travel.
Bz
Orientation of the magnetic field inside the solar wind i the direction that it has the most interaction with Earth's magnetic field. When Bz is negative it is attracted to Earth's magnetic field, if it is positive it will repel. Greater attraction will allow easier entry of the solar wind into the upper atmosphere.
Clock Angle and Clock Arm Length (IMF)
By calculating the angle and length of the By and Bz arm you get a better understanding of how well magnetic field inside the solar wind will be able to interact with Earth's magnetic field. A favorable angle (150° ... 210°) and long enough arm are favorable conditions.
Protons (pcc)
Density of the solar wind. The amount of protons per cubic centimeter that have passed (protons ccm / pcc). The more particles the more interaction there will in the upper atmosphere and the brighter the Aurora's will become.
Power (GW)
The amount of energy that the solar wind is leaving in the upper atmosphere. Depending on your location the amount for the Northern or Southern hemisphere is shown.
Flux
The amount of protons (*108) per cm2 per second that are passing.
Pr
With how much pressure is the solar wind pushing against Earth's magnetic field.
Geomagnetic Pole
Location on Earth of the North and South pole as seen from space.
Auroral Oval
Oval shaped area around the Geomagnetic Pole where the Auroras can be seen.
Geomagnetic Midnight
The time when, at your current location, the Sun, the Geomagnetic Pole and you are standing in one line. At this moment the Auroral Oval stretches the furthest away from the poles.
Distance to Geomagnetic Pole
Under low-activity circumstances the Auroral Oval can be seen overhead at Geomagnetic Midnight at a distance of roughly 2500km from the Geomagnetic Pole. The further away you position yourself the lower they will appear on the horizon.
Twilight transitions
Being able to estimate how dark the night sky will be at a certain time helps to assess the viewing potential. An example twilight transition: "Civil > Nautical".
Moon
Both the level of illumination (0% = new moon, 100% = full moon), the angle above/below the horizon as well as it's place in the sky should help with assessing it's influence on how much brighter the sky will be due to the moonlight.
indicates a visible moon, while means it will be below the horizon.
Scale of Events
It is important to be aware of the scale of events.
Something that happens on the sun will affect the space weather conditions in interplanetary space. Especially in the direction where it is pointing at. It will take between 2 to 5 days before the solar wind will reach Earth.
The solar wind passing the L1 Lagrange point will most likely affect Earth's entire magnetosphere and as a result similar (not identical) Aurora displays can be witnessed in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. On average these measurements will give an idea what will happen in the next hour or so.
Zooming further in, weather is much more local and is not affected by the solar wind.
Cloud Cover
Your biggest challenge...
When looking for Northern Lights there are three types of information you will need to be aware of and combine to increase your chances:
- Forecasts
- Nowcast / Remote observations
- Own observations
Learning to combine all three different information types will help you better understand how each type interacts with the others.
Forecasts
A forecast is an indication of what might happen but it has a high degree of inaccuracy. Think of longer-term weather or 27-day Kp forecasts. Most of these are based on sophisticated computer models and will be re-calculated a certain number of times per day. Each time the information that is being put into these models will be slightly different with possibly vastly different outcomes as a result.
Nowcast / Remote observations
This information comes from direct observations from a distance. Think of satellite images of the cloud cover or measurements of the current solar wind characteristics 1.5 million km away from Earth (provided by the ACE/DISCOVR satellites). The time it takes before the remotely observed information reaches you is relatively short and the chance of something changing drastically is limited. Making it more reliable than the forecasts.
Own observations
Last but not least are your own observations in the field.
Does the cloud cover match the forecast? In which direction are they moving and does this match your expectations from looking at satellite images? Does the Northern Lights activity match what you were expecting based on the Kp forecast or the nowcast information?
Information & News
SpaceWeather.comUpdates daily and always has very interesting news items.
Wikipedia - SunGreat place to start reading about the source of it all.
Data feeds and Images
NOAA.govBig thanks to NASA for making their satellite data and images available (HMIIC, 0193, ENLIL, Ovation).
Aurora Scout
Whether you are new or an Aurora expert, one thing is for sure: Northern Lights will never get off your bucket list!
Once you experience their magic you will want to spend more nights outside in search of this spectacular ever changing phenomenon.
Preparation is everything in your search for Northern Lights.
See this app as the Swiss army knife for Northern Lights hunting. It tries to bundle as much relevant information as
possible while keeping the interface compact and dark enough to use under extreme conditions. The last thing you want to do is take
your gloves off at -40° in order to scroll back and forth through large amounts of data or lose your night vision by your screen
lighting up like crazy.
The app is intended for anyone interested in catching a good display and serves beginners, experienced
enthusiasts as well as professional guides.
Free features:
- Summarized forecasts and real-time satellite data.
- Easy to understand colors.
- Dark interface, preserving much of your night vision.
- Everything in local time! No more brain breaking conversions.
- Clear indication of solar wind arrival time.
- Sun and Moon rise and set times (based on location).
- Estimation of sky darkness (based on location).
- Explanations on relevant terminology and science.
- Manual location selection (good for privacy and planning).
- GPS based current location selection.
- Automatic data reload: 120s
- Real-time satellite data per 5 minutes.
- Links to external localized weather services.
Premium features:
- All free features
- Real-time data shown in numbers.
- Separate and additional real-time data columns.
- Additional real-time data details.
- Advanced estimate of sky darkness (based on location).
- Images are relative to the current solar wind speed.
- Images of the Sun (visible light, ultraviolet)
- Images of Solar wind models (ENLIL)
- Image of the Auroral Oval
- Image zoom
- Twilight transition times (based on location).
- Moon angle and direction (based on location).
- Estimation of sky darkness towards the horizon (based on location).
- Manual data reload permitted after 30s
Disclaimer
The application is provided "as is" and no claims can be made in relation to using it or the information provided.
Please be aware of the environment you are in while searching for the Northern Lights. Nature can be both beautiful and relentless,
especially in winter, so please tread carefully and do not take unnecessary risks!
Privacy Policy
Our servers only collect standard metrics that are required for servicing requests (like your public IP for example) and do not relay any data to third parties.
Your location data is not logged or stored on our systems.
By using the Location tab you will load third party components from Mapbox (please find their privacy policy here).
By explicitly opening a link on the Weather tab your location will be forwarded to the selected provider and you will have to read up on their respected privacy policy.
This app has no advertisements and is only monetized by selling Premium Licenses (see Settings). Your support is much appreciated.
Location Data
The location and timezone you set on the Location tab will be used by our servers
to provide you with relevant position-based information as well as show all times in your selected timezone.
Determining your current location only happens when you click the "use my current location" icon ().
Because you can select your location manually you have full control over it's accuracy.
Please keep in mind you do not have to be exact in setting your location. Anything within a 10km radius should work equally well.
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