What Do These Metrics Mean?

Plasma Data

Measures charged particles in the solar wind:

• Speed: Faster wind brings intense auroras. (≥ 500 km/s = strong displays)
• Density: Higher density results in brighter auroras.

Magnetometer Data

Tracks Earth's magnetic field disturbances, predicting aurora activity and intensity.

Solar Wind Speed

High-speed solar wind (≥ 500 km/s) energizes the magnetosphere, creating auroras.

Glossary

UTC Time

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the standard time used across the world. It does not vary with seasons or locations and is used as a reference time for scientific observations, including aurora forecasts.

HPI

The Hemispheric Power Index (HPI) measures the total energy deposited in the Earth's atmosphere by particles from the solar wind. It is used to gauge the strength of auroral activity.

Ovation Model

The OVATION (Oval Variation, Assessment, Tracking, Intensity, and Online Nowcasting) model is an empirical model of the intensity of the aurora developed at the Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory by Patrick Newell and co-workers. The model uses the solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field measured at the L1 orbit position at 1.6 million km (1 million miles) upstream from earth as input and calculates three types of electron precipitation and the proton precipitation which strongly correlate with the aurora. An estimate of aurora viewing probability can be derived by assuming a linear relationship to the intensity of the aurora. This relationship was validated by comparison with data from the Ultraviolet imager (UVI) instrument on the NASA Polar satellite.

Animation Explanation:

This animation creates a dynamic 3D view where each point shows Earth's Magnetic Field Disturbances, with the camera orbiting to give a full perspective on how these readings change over time. The animation refreshes and cycles through the data, offering a continuous loop of the magnetic field's behavior.

Color Coding:

The color of each point is based on the strength of the magnetic field, with red indicating higher magnitudes and green showing lower ones, creating a visual gradient. This color scheme helps quickly assess the intensity of magnetic field changes at each point.

Representation:

This visualization plots magnetometer data in 3D space, where each axis (X, Y, Z) represents a component of the Earth's magnetic field. Each point illustrates a single measurement, revealing patterns and fluctuations in the magnetic field's direction and strength over time.