The one-stop-shop you can use for aurora prediction is Space Weather Live<\/a>.\u00a0 This really is the gold standard.\u00a0 They’ve got all the data you need.\u00a0 Even better, they also have an app<\/a>.\u00a0 (Android lusers, you can get it here<\/a>.)\u00a0<\/p>\n Remember how I said the Kp is not the only value to watch?\u00a0 It is actually a number which looks back in time over the past three hours.\u00a0 It’s okay for prediction, but it’s not much of a real-time value.\u00a0 I combine the current Kp value with the value of the Bz from Space Weather Live to determine if we’re likely to see auroras.\u00a0 If the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (Bz) is oriented south<\/strong> we are more likely to see the lights, and the further it deviates from zero the better.\u00a0 This is perhaps the single most important metric I’ve found to date.\u00a0 I’ve gone out multiple times when we have a high Kp value, and seen nothing<\/span>.\u00a0 But when the Bz is oriented south, I’ve seen lights on nights when it was otherwise improbable.<\/p>\n Another really cool site – not so much a tool is Space Weather dot com<\/a>. Useful for articles and galleries, it’s a must-have.<\/p>\n Below is the NOAA’s “Ovation” model (this is an embedded image and will auto-update as long as the link works).<\/p>\n\n\n I’ve had a variety of Northern Lights experiences since I got my camera several years ago. You can check out the Northern Lights category on this blog<\/a> to see the results of those experiences. Here in central North Dakota, we’re blessed with the opportunity to witness some fabulous auroral activity overhead. Since I first started doing this photography thang, the toolset for chasing the Northern Lights has evolved significantly.\u00a0 Here are the resources I … Continue reading ![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/services.swpc.noaa.gov\/images\/aurora-forecast-northern-hemisphere.jpg\")
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Good luck, and maybe I’ll see you out there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"