Auroral forms can be divided into broad categories based on activity level and the viewer's perspective. Major solar storms can occur any time; the aurora is usually most intense between 10 p. Scientists can predict when and where there will be aurora, but with less confidence than they can predict the regular weather. Cameras have different sensitivities to colors than the human eye, therefore there is often more red aurora in photos than you can see with the unaided eye. When the solar wind is calm, the aurora might only be occurring at very high latitudes and might be faint, but there is still aurora.
So the dark of the moon in March is the best time of year to travel to the auroral zone since the yearly cycle of auroral activity also peaks around the equinox. Image should be used as a guide only, it is based on predicted geomagnetic activity. To get back to their normal state, they release that energy in the form of light. The bottom edge of the aurora is typically about 60 miles 100 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The Northern Lights are most often seen in the Lapland regions of Finland, Sweden and Norway along with Iceland and Greenland. It may only be accomplished successfully during the most active overhead displays, on windless nights and away from any other noise sources such as barking dogs or traffic noise. What is the best time of year to see aurora? The sun turns on its own axis once every 27 days, so an active region that produced perturbations which resulted in aurora might again cause aurora 27 days later.
Another concern for visitors is extremely cold winter weather. The continental locations in Russia, Alaska and western Canada under the auroral zone statistically have the clearest skies. The scale changes in accordance with the date selected under the cloud cover map. This 27 day rotation is called a Carrington Rotation. Sunspot activity, and hence auroral activity, tends to peak every 11 years. Since there is more oxygen at high altitudes, the red aurora tends to be on top of the regular green aurora. Note that during the spring, the skies of Iceland and Scandinavia are usually clear.
If the auroral activity level is higher than 2, you will still observe the stronger motions and color changes, etc. Where is the best place to see aurora? The method by Starkov 1994 is used to mathematically calculate the size and location of the auroral oval mapped onto a solar illuminated Earth globe. The moon is also very bright and can make it more difficult to view the aurora, so lunar cycles should be taken into account. In those conditions small problems may be magnified into disaster at a site that is too remote. The number of sunspots on the Sun's surface changes on a fairly regular cycle, which scientists refer to as the sun's 11-year cycle variation. The last solar maximum was in 2014; the next is expected around 2025. The rays are actually hundreds of miles long and perspective makes them appear to converge.
Combined with a slight preference for better weather in spring than in fall, this means that late February to early April are usually considered the best aurora viewing months in Alaska. Solar phenomena on the surface of the sun distribute high speed plasmas that often result in increased auroral activity on earth. The original android app was updated and converted by the company Appex. This allows good forecasts to be made on these look-ahead time scales, based on events and conditions observed on the sun. A sudden steep change in the magnetometer is usually an indicator that an extended period 0. Satellites are the main tool for observing and monitoring the sun and particle fluxes heading for Earth. The skies at night are simply too bright as the sun climbs in the sky until the June 21 solstice and then descends.
The white areas are where you need to head for. Live stream from Aurora Service wilderness cabin in Muotkatunturi Wilderness Area, in Finnish Lapland. Therefore, the model indicates the sunlit side of Earth in blue and the nightside hours in grayscale. This is ideal as you need to have a clear sky to see the Northern Lights. The number of sunspots on the Sun's surface changes on a fairly regular cycle, which scientists refer to as the sun's 11-year cycle variation. Sun, moon, planets and star poistions are also inluded. In the southern hemisphere the aurora has to be fairly active before it can be seen from places other than Antarctica.
The high temperature causes hydrogen atoms to split into protons and electrons. The aurora is most often seen as a striking green, but it also occasionally shows off other colors, ranging from red to pink or blue to purple. Magnetometer stackplot What Kp strength do you need to view Northern Lights where you are? This table allows you to see what Kp level is typically required see aurora borealis where you are in the event of high geomagnetic activity. The purple results from a mixture of blue and red emissions from nitrogen molecules. When the solar wind is calm, there tends to be minimal aurora; when the solar wind is strong and perturbed, there is a chance of intense aurora. The corona is exceedingly hot, measuring more than one million degrees. Clear skies are a requirement, so you should try to choose a location and a season that is blessed with the clearest skies.
You can view all the components of the solar wind on our other solar wind tool. The resulting gas of charged particles is called plasma, which is electrically conductive. Note that the prediction time depends data availability. Viewing is best with little or no moonlight so if you can, avoid the weeks around a full moon. Gauges are updated every minute live without the need for page refresh. The light green means partly cloudy and dark green means very cloudy so a low chance for sightings as the visibility is low. How Often in the Map Updated? In either case, the travel time to Earth for such material leaving the sun is 1 to 3 days.