Solar wind, live
Charged particles from the Sun stream past Earth. Their speed and density come from the latest reading. The glowing ring is the aurora oval, which grows toward the equator as the Kp index rises.
Where the aurora reaches tonight
The glowing band is the auroral oval at the current Kp index, drawn around the magnetic pole. If your city sits inside or just below the band, look toward the pole after dark.
Oval position estimated from the current Kp index, a simplified model. For an official forecast see NOAA SWPC.
Solar activity, last 30 days
Each bar is one day's peak Kp index, a 0 to 9 measure of how disturbed Earth's magnetic field was. Drag the slider to step through time.