How high does KP have to be to see the Northern Lights?
4
If the Kp is 5 or greater, the better your chances of seeing an aurora. You can check out the SWPC Estimated Planetary Kp graph to see what has been happening during the past few days. The red bars indicate a Kp higher than 4, which makes your odds of seeing an aurora greater.
Can you see Northern Lights with KP 2?
Kp 2-3: Moderate solar activity. You’ll have a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights.
Is higher Kp better for Northern Lights?
It is important, however, to remember that the Northern Lights appears most frequently at high latitudes. This is because Kp1, Kp2 and, to a lesser extent, Kp3 are by far the most common levels of geomagnetic activity. Essentially, that is where you have the very best chance of seeing the Northern Lights.
What is a good Kp index?
If the GEOPHYSICAL ACTIVITY FORECAST is for “storm” levels SWPC expects Kp indices of 5 or greater. Another indication of geomagnetic activity is the NOAA POES Auroral Activity Level, which is a number from 1 to 10.
What is my Kp index?
The Kp-index is the global geomagnetic activity index that is based on 3-hour measurements from ground-based magnetometers around the world. The Kp-index ranges from 0 to 9 where a value of 0 means that there is very little geomagnetic activity and a value of 9 means extreme geomagnetic storming.
What does KP stand for in Kp index?
That’s what the Kp index is for! Where does Kp come from? Kp comes from ‘K’ as is ‘Kennziffer’ (‘index’ in German) and ‘p’ as in planetary. The Kp index measures the global strength of a geomagnetic event. It goes from 0 to 9, respectively quiet and extreme storm.
What is Kp4 Aurora?
Kp4 = Active. Kp5 = Minor storm (G1) Kp6 = Moderate storm (G2) Kp7 = Strong storm (G3) Kp8 = Severe storm (G4)
What is geomagnetic K index?
The K-index quantifies disturbances in the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field with an integer in the range 0–9 with 1 being calm and 5 or more indicating a geomagnetic storm. It is derived from the maximum fluctuations of horizontal components observed on a magnetometer during a three-hour interval.
What is geomagnetic K-index?
What does KP 7 mean?
Strong storm
Kp 7 – Strong storm – Bright, dynamic and colourful aurorae. Visible in the southern sky. Aurora coronae very likely. Kp 8 – Severe storm – Bright, dynamic and colourful aurorae.
How do you read a Kp index?
Generally, the lower the index, the less activity there is during the period measured.
- If the bar is green, this indicates quiet or low levels of geomagnetic activity.
- Yellow is an “active” level, indicating moderate geomagnetic activity.
- Red bars indicate high geomagnetic activity, also considered a geomagnetic storm.
How do you read a Kp-index?
What is the range of the Kp index?
The Kp-index ranges from 0 to 9 where a value of 0 means that there is very little geomagnetic activity and a value of 9 means extreme geomagnetic storming.
What is the Kp index of a geomagnetic storm?
The Kp-Index and Geomagnetic Storms As mentioned previously the Kp-Index ranges from 0 to 9 representing geomagnetic activity on an increasing scale. When it reaches Kp5, activity is said to have reached storm level and is also measured using the Geomagnetic G-scale from G1 (minor) to G5 (Extreme).
Where can I find the 3 hour planetary Kp index?
The Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index is a preliminary Kp-index derived at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center using minute by minute data from a number of ground-based magnetometers that relay data in near-real time. These observatories are located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.
How is the Kp index related to the Northern Lights?
The Kp-Index provides a valuable estimate of where the Northern Lights might be visible. It’s not an exact science as other factors come into play (cloud cover and daylight for example) but roughly speaking, the Kp forecast provides a reasonable indication as to where the Aurora Borealis might appear.