Made possible with the support of NOAA. These plots represent the areas that are likely to have auroral activity. The aurora oval represented in the plots is not a photograph, and is near real-time. It is extrapolated statistically from the Space Environment Monitor (SEM) data obtained during a single pass of a POES satellite over a polar region. To learn more visit NOAA POES site at: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/index.html
Also read this user’s guide that will soon be added to the NOAA site. http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/GEpmap/index.html

You can also read my original concept thread here:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/130767/an/0/page/0#130767

So keep listening to the news for solar activity. Big ones happen a few times a year. So if you ever find yourself under and yellow, orange or especially red, get out there and have fun watching aurora!
And don't forget to rank my post!

By: Andrew Brown.

>Update< July 23 2007
I have repaired and modified the link to the scale.
I have moved the scale to the top right corner of the view screen, rather than in the Pacific Ocean.
I have changed the scale to a smaller, less obtrusive version.

The reason the scale broke was due to NOAA stopped hosting that particular file when they adapted my idea to use with NASA's World Wind.
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/GEpmap/index.html

Very cool and thank you very much. We don't see many auroras here is Southern California, and I want to be ready for the one we can see every few years.

I saw them one time in Arkansas about 10 years ago, but they were just dull red. We were suppose to see them again a couple years ago because of a big flare, but it hit the Earth with the same polarity & pretty much fizzled.

I saw them in Iceland a few months ago. One of the best moments in my life (oh the cliche!) & are well worth the brass-monkeys temp out in the Icelandic wilderness!

Thanks so much for this- i've been fortunate to see 5 aurorae in the last 4 years- the most spectacular one was in Michigan in Nov 2001.
I remember just laughing delightedly like a child at those colors, the unfurling of a giant aperture and the fact that I was on my front lawn made it so special, I've never forgotten it.

Thank you very much Andrew, for your effort in this! There are few things in nature to compare to a good Auroral display! I remember one in particular when I was about 10 years old that lasted for perhaps an hour and had arcing displays that extended up to the zenith and was in constant motion. This was at 40 degrees N. in the USA. There was a pretty good one a few months ago but I missed it with the camera..

I believe you folks will appreciate this site: http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery.html. Not only do they have an awesome gallery of aurora pictures, but they offer free email alerts when the Northern Lights are eminent due to solar activity (coronal mass ejections/CME's. They also offer an alert subscription service via phone, but the free email service has worked just fine for me. http://www.spaceweather.com/

Hi Core5!

You star! Well done! These guys at NOAA are quite helpful, aren't they? I've just had one asking me if he can use my code for their RIDGE project, which came as another nice Christmas surprise!

Thanks for giving me the heads-up on this thread.... I've added it to my favourites and will be keeping an eye open on developments. So glad to see you've made such excellent progress! From little acorns, big oak trees grow, eh?

All the best - and a prosperous New Year to all!

This is my first post. I live in England, have driven for a living all my life and have spent countless hours under the stars. I am especially pleased with your information you have bought to me as I have had the pleasure of driving under two Aurora, both being full sky shimmer. The first time I saw it , I did not know what it was, but guessed this was the 'Northern Lights' I had heard about. The second time I was working with a colleague who had had the experience of 'Aurora' whilst staying in Canada. When I told him to look up at the sky, he could not believe what he was seeing because it was his understanding that in England we are too far south to be seeing this. Anyway thanks for the invite to follow your thread. This I shall be doing. Happy New Year to all 'OUT THERE'.

Awesome! I too have had the luck of seeing them live. I was backpacking with my grandfather and had set camp at Lake of the Clouds on Mt. Washington, NH USA
We hit the peak and were caught by suprise, we stood there for a long time.