Weather. While not strictly weather phenomena, Aurora and Noctilucent clouds occur in the Earths atmosphere and are in themselves very interesting events to witness. For more information on aurora, noctilucent clouds and solar activity, see www.spaceweather.com Latest Auroral Halo image for the Northern Hemisphere, deep red indicates Aurora activity. Times are in GMT (UT), Summer time = GMT+1 If there is auroral activity, its also worth checking out our solar page. Latest Auroral Halo image over Europe Latest NOAA Aurora forecast Courtest of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The north polar Noctilucent Cloud map pictured below is a composite of near-realtime images from NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) research satellite, this is the latest image assembled by researchers at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), note that the image isnt always up to date.
Note that this map is usefull in the mid summer months only. 3-day Estimated Planetary Kp-index Monitor. The The Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index is derived at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center using data from the following ground-based magnetometers: Sitka, Alaska; Meanook, Canada; Ottawa, Canada; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Hartland, UK; Wingst, Germany; Niemegk, Germany; and Canberra, Australia. These data are made available thanks to the cooperative efforts between SWPC and data providers around the world, which currently includes the U.S. Geological Survey, Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), the British Geological Survey, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), and Geoscience Australia. Important magnetometer observations are also contributed by the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and the Korean Space Weather Center Other SWPC Real-time Monitors Kp-indices of 5 or greater indicate storm-level geomagnetic activity.
Geomagnetic storms have been associated with satellite surface charging and increased atmospheric drag. NOAA / Space Weather Prediction Center. SWPC Tips on Viewing the Aurora. NOAA / Space Weather Prediction Center Being able to see the Aurora depends mainly on two factors, geomagnetic activity (the degree of disturbance of the earth's magnetic field at the time) and your geographic location. Further considerations are the weather at your location, and light pollution from city lights, full moon and so forth. Geomagnetic Activity -- The Kp Index and the NOAA POES Auroral Activity Level In order to know whether you have a chance of seeing an aurora, you need to know the level of geomagnetic activity at the time you are viewing.
There is a simple index called Kp, a number from 0 to 9, which is used to refer to geomagnetic activity for a 3-hour period. Check the Space Weather Prediction Center's bar plot of Estimated Planetary Kp to see what has been happening during the past couple of days. This plot updates every 3 hours with the latest Kp value. Location, location, location!
Kp maps of midnight equatorward boundaries Further Information about the Aurora. Shannonside Astronomy Club Website. British Isles: Infrared satellite imagery. Switch to visible satellite image sequence These images come from satellites which remain above a fixed point on the Earth (i.e. they are “geostationary”). The infrared image shows the invisible infrared radiation emitted directly by cloud tops and land or ocean surfaces. The warmer an object is, the more intensely it emits radiation, thus allowing us to determine its temperature. These intensities can be converted into greyscale tones, with cooler temperatures showing as lighter tones and warmer as darker. Lighter areas of cloud show where the cloud tops are cooler and therefore where weather features like fronts and shower clouds are. The advantage of infrared images is that they can be recorded 24 hours a day.
However, low cloud, having similar temperatures to the underlying surface, are less easily discernable. The infrared images are updated every hour. Global satellite imagery.