Space weather

Solar wind and geomagnetic activity measured right now, and what they mean for auroras.

Updated September 23, 2026 at 7:37 PM UTC. The planetary Kp index is 1.0 (quiet). The highest value of the last 30 days was 3.7 on September 16, 2026. The solar wind is blowing at 304 km/s with a density of 2.3 particles per cm³. At this level the aurora oval typically reaches about 65° geomagnetic latitude.

Solar wind, live

Charged particles from the Sun stream past Earth. Their speed and density come from the latest reading. The glowing ring is the aurora oval, which grows toward the equator as the Kp index rises.

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Could I see any of this tonight?

Solar activity, last 30 days

Each bar is one day's peak Kp index, a 0 to 9 measure of how disturbed Earth's magnetic field was. Drag the slider to step through time.

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Could I see any of this tonight?