What am I looking at? Each bar represents a 3-hour window over the next few days. Taller bars = more geomagnetic activity = better aurora. Green bars (Kp 0-3) = quiet, unlikely to see aurora. Yellow bars (Kp 4) = active, aurora at high latitudes. Red bars (Kp 5+) = storm! Aurora visible much further from the poles. The dashed red line marks the storm threshold.

What am I looking at? This is how fast the stream of particles from the sun is hitting Earth right now. Below 500 km/s = normal, quiet conditions. Above 500 km/s = fast wind, aurora more likely. Above 600 km/s = very fast! Great for aurora. Look for the line climbing or staying high.

What am I looking at? This is the most important chart. It shows the direction of the sun's magnetic field. When the line goes below zero (below the red dashed line), Earth's magnetic shield opens and aurora becomes likely. The further below zero, the better. Values below -10 nT are great. When the line stays above zero, the shield is closed and aurora is unlikely.

What am I looking at? This shows how many particles per cubic centimetre are in the solar wind. Higher density = brighter aurora. Values above 10 p/cm³ can produce vivid, colourful displays. Low density means even if conditions are otherwise good, the aurora may be faint.