Aurora Observatory
Auroral Oval - the closer you are to it, the better your chances of seeing an aurora. During a strong aurora, the oval expands and moves southward.
Satellite images of the auroral oval: these
images are either taken by special cameras aboard satellites or produced
from data measurements taken by satellites.
Auroral oval in UV light
Ultraviolet Earth Camera image from VIS
aboard NASA's POLAR spacecraft.
click here to go to the VIS site
courtesy L. A. Frank and J. B. Sigwarth
The University of Iowa and
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
Auroral oval
extrapolated from measurements taken by the
NOAA POES satellite. The color scales ranges from
red (high) to blue (low).
click here to go to the NOAA POES site
courtesy of Space Environment Center of NOAA
Ultraviolet image from UVI camera aboard NASA's
POLAR spacecraft
click here to go to the UVI site
courtesy of G. Parks, SSL, Berkeley
The
Kp-Index is a number between 0-9 indicating the maximum level of geomagnetic
disturbance over a three-hour period. Solar activity
causes this disturbance in Earth's magnetic field and is recorded by
instruments called magnetometers.
For more detailed info click here
How to use this info:
- determine
your magnetic latitude with NOAA POES' interactive latitude map
- compare
it to the chart to see what the Kp needs to be in order for the
aurora to reach your area
| City |
Mag
Latitude |
Kp
|
| Fairbanks |
64
|
1
|
| Toronto |
53.9
|
6
|
| Seattle |
52.7
|
7
|
| Chicago |
52.2
|
7
|
| New York City |
50
|
8
|
| Copenhagen |
51.9
|
8
|
| San Francisco |
42
|
9+
|
| London |
47.5
|
9+
|
| Tokyo |
29
|
9+
|
click image for the
latest Kp Index.
click to go to NOAA
SEC site
Kp>4
Kp=4
Kp<4
current geomagnetic storm level
click to see Silver Space
Sciences Lab page
courtesy Janet Luhmann and Yan Li
University of California at Berkeley,
Silver Space Sciences Lab
Solar activity - look for sunspots and coronal holes near the Sun's equator
sunspots
magnetogram
click to go to SOHO home page
Some things you'll see at SOHO
What is EIT?
EIT stands for Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. EIT uses four different
wavelengths of light to view various solar
features such as active regions and coronal holes.
What is LASCO?
LASCO was designed to observe the corona, or the outermost layer of the
sun's atmosphere. Normally, the brightness of the sun makes the corona
difficult to see so LASCO covers the sun's disc creating an artificial
eclipse. The white circle indicates the size of the sun. LASCO can take
dramatic images of coronal activity such as
explosions and mass ejections.
Closer to home - clear, dark nights are the best for aurora viewing
check lunar phases with this applet from the CBC4Kids site.
Make sure skies are clear for good viewing
Consult
the experts: links to aurora prediction and space weather sites
return to main page
Geophysical Institute
903 Koyukuk Drive, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7320
site last modified: August 2003 maintained by Asahi Aurora
Web Manager