Aurora
FORECAST SOL: Moderate yellow MAG: Normal green ION: Normal green
HomeAuroraLatest ConditionsGeomagnetic Indices Saturday, Dec 14 2024 19:52 UT

Latest Conditions

Auroral Oval

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Latest Conditions

3-day Geomagnetic Indices

Estimated Kp Index (3-hour data)

Source NOAA/SWPC

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Estimated Australian Region Kaus Index (3-hour data)

Source ASWFC

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Northern Limit of Aurora Visibility

KpGeomagnetic ActivityNorthern LimitNorthern Limit Location
3UnsettledHigh LatitudesSouthern Tasmania
4ActiveHigh LatitudesAll of Tasmania
5Minor StormHigh LatitudesCoastline of Victoria
6Major StormHigh LatitudesSouthwest Coast of Western Australia
7Severe StormMid LatitudesSouthern NSW
8Severe StormLow LatitudesSouthern Queensland
9Severe StormEquatorialThe Tropics

Geomagnetic Indices

The K index is a measure of geomagnetic activity for a 3-hour period. The larger the K-index, the greater the chance of seeing an aurora at lower latitudes. The auroral oval prediction tool shows the predicted visibility line for a given K-index and time of day.

Space Weather API

The Space Weather API provides access to near real-time data from the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre within the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

The API includes the following data relevant to auroras:

  • the current K index for the Australian region or for one of the observing sites
  • details of any magnetic alert current for the Australian region
  • details of any geophysical warning currently active for the Australian region
  • details of any aurora notice (alert, watch, outlook) current for the Australian region

Data is available at no charge, though this remains subject to change.

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