How do you know when you’ve created something special? I can’t say for sure, but I will say this… You know you’ve become a great resource when you find yourself visiting your own webpage to get the latest trends!
When trying to catch the Aurora, there are certain things I want to know, especially in the hours leading up to and during the geomagnetic storm.
Bear in mind, every predictor we have for Aurora activity comes with a large margin of error, and no prediction model exists without shortcomings. So, you have to make adjustments in real time, as the outlook changes. That said, I’ve collected a list of tools that I depend on to catch the latest and greatest Aurora displays.
For some great Chasing Savvy, below is a link to my list of My Favorite Chasing Hacks! Let me give you some tips on how to use them…
As you gear up for the chase, explore Light Pollution Maps, select Viewing Locations, and read forecasts from the Space Weather Prediction Center and the HUXt Model at the University of Reading.
As the hours draw near to darkness or an anticipated impact, monitor the trends on ACE Real-Time Solar Wind, check the Ovation Model, look for Warnings in your email inbox from the SWPC Subscription Service, and check Notifications from the Space Weather Live app.
As you set out on the chase, utilize the Glendale App, be ready to leap outside the second you get a Substorm alert from the Glendale Telegram Channel, and if you really want a granular view of how much Auroral activity is streaming into Earth’s upper atmosphere in real-time: monitor the AE Index on the website showing the real-time Auroral Electrojet index from Kyoto.
When clouds or other obstacles threaten a good time, webcams and live sightings are the only way to be certain the Aurora is visible. Real-time satellite views of clouds may be the only accurate outlook on cloud cover. Check webcams to your East (for advance warning) and to your North (for high activity that could explode and push farther south any second).
I hope these Aurora Chasing Hacks will take your chasing game to the next level in the New Year and beyond! We’re already looking at our first weekend with powerful G Storms in the forecast — meaning we could see the first phenomenal displays of the year in the days ahead!