Displays current parameters of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind.
The Bz component determines the orientation of the IMF. A southward orientation, represented by negative values, is favorable for aurora development. Simply put: the lower the value, the further south the auroras can be seen and the more active they are likely to be.
Solar wind density is expressed as the number of particles per cubic centimeter (p/cm^3). The higher the density, the brighter and more intense the auroras. High particle density causes higher layers of the atmosphere to become ionized, which contributes to the appearance of red and purple colors in the aurora. It also directly affects the visibility range of the aurora. With very high density and other favorable parameters, the aurora can be seen thousands of kilometers south of the Arctic Circle.
Solar wind speed is measured in kilometers per second and shows how fast solar wind particles collide with the Earth's magnetosphere. High values indicate a stronger impact on the magnetosphere, which directly affects the strength of the geomagnetic storm and, consequently, the brightness and dynamics of the auroras.
None of these three parameters alone guarantees the appearance of an aurora, but their combination can lead to interesting results. Our website uses a color gradation to determine their influence on aurora visibility. Green - everything is calm, red - high activity. The more parameters in the red zone, the higher the probability of seeing the aurora south of the Arctic Circle.
Using a visual color gradient and a coordinate grid, it displays the aurora forecast for 1 hour ahead. Observers within the grid squares directly under the colored area can expect to see the aurora overhead, while those in the squares adjacent to the colored area can expect to see it above the horizon. Green indicates a low probability of aurora, red - it's time to get ready for observations. In conjunction with the IMF parameters table, it provides a fairly complete picture of geomagnetic activity for the next hour.
Used to adjust the visibility of cameras on the main page. Using checkboxes, you can hide or display any number of available cameras.
Opens the settings menu for the appearance of the main page and allows you to choose the method of sorting cameras.
By reducing the Scale, you can arrange the cameras in two or more columns (from values below 49%).
Sort by orders the cameras by name, latitude, or longitude. Pressing the desired sort button again changes its direction.
You can also customize the display of camera information by checking or unchecking the desired checkboxes in the "Show" line.