There is a strong connection between the Kp Index and the predicted southern edge of the aurora in North America. Kp Index measures the amount of solar wind expected to enter Earth's atmosphere
How to Read this Aurora Map:
•Kp of 3: An aurora could be expected south to the BLUE line.
•Kp of 5: An aurora could be expected south to the GREEN line.
•Kp of 9: An aurora could be expected south to the RED line.
•Kp of 9+: An aurora could be seen as far south as Texas and Florida.
Example: If we lived in Northern Canada, we wouldn't need much of a Kp value.
Because we live in Minneapolis, it would take little stronger Kp value to see the aurora here. If we lived in St. Louis MO, we would need a much higher KP value.
FIND THE Kp INDEX FOR YOUR AREA
Click to see "Kp Index" (live data). A web page containing a bar graph called the "Estimated Planetary K-index (3-hour data)" will appear. Observe the graph for any deviations. (K-indices of 5 or higher indicate 'storm-level' geomagnetic activity. Values of 7 or higher indicate a severe geomagnetic storm.)
ABOUT THE Kp SCALE
Every three hours throughout the day, magnetic observatories around the world measure the largest magnetic change that their instruments recorded during this time. The result is averaged together with those of the other observatories to produce an index that tells scientists how disturbed the Earth's magnetic field is on a 9-point scale. This scale is called the Kp scale. The larger the index (7+) the more active the Earth's magnetic field becomes due to a storm from the sun. The smaller the index (1-2) the more quiet it is. Sometimes changes in the suns activity can cause big changes in Kp. At other times, large Kp values can indicate sudden rearrangements of the Earth's magnetic field due to the solar wind. Kp-indices of 5 or greater indicate storm-level geomagnetic activity.
USE THE MAP TO FIND YOUR MAGNETIC LATITUDE
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNW.html
Click anywhere on the map to see the Geographic Longitude, Geographic Latitude, and Corrected Magnetic Latitude for that location. Look that up on the site above to find the Kp value for your Magnetic Latitude right now.
[This tool was developed by NOAA, in Boulder Colorado, and may be used to determine locations of possible auroral sightings.]
