#k-index

[therealuniverse]

K-index We've had thousands of 'likes' for photos of aurorae, but how do photographers know when to lug all their gear into the wilderness and while away the hours waiting for “that shot”. One of the best assets in the aurora watcher's toolkit is the K-index.

The K-index is an indication of the level of disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field and ranges from 0-9. 1 on the K-index is relatively calm, whereas 5 or more indicates a geomagnetic storm (and therefore aurorae are more likely). Introduced by Julius Bartels in 1938, the K-index ('K' comes from the German “Kennziffer” meaning “characteristic number”) reflects the maximum fluctuations observed by a magnetometer during a three-hour interval. Canadian K-Index Map: https://www.spaceweather.gc.ca/forecast-prevision/short-court/sfst-2-en.php Australian K-Index Map: http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/1/3/1 -CJ Image: Australian K-index map (updated every 20 minutes, see link above): Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology, Radio and Space Weather Services Further Reading: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/info/Kindex.html

[universetoday]

Green and Red Auroras Light Up St. Patrick's Day Dawn

Green and Red Auroras Light Up St. Patrick’s Day Dawn

A wall of colorful red and green aurora met the eye and camera of Jim Schaff of Duluth this morning around 3 a.m. CDT. Schaff said the colors were easy to see with the naked eye. Details: 16mm at f/2.8, ISO 1600 approx. 10 sec. exposure.Credit: Jim Schaff

A strong G3 geomagetic stormsurged across the planet this morning producing a spectacular display of the northern lights. Some of you may who…

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