Current Kp Index
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real time Kp Index values provided by https://services.swpc.noaa.gov/json/planetary_k_index_1m.json
Kp Index Over Time
What is the Kp Index?
The Kp Index is a scale used to measure the level of geomagnetic activity in Earth's magnetosphere.
Kp Index is influenced by solar wind and solar storms.
This activity is what causes aurora borealis or northern lights and aurora australis or southern lights.
The Kp index ranges from 0 to 9, with each level representing the strength of geomagnetic disturbances:
As the Kp Index rises, the aurora becomes more intense and visible at lower latitudes.
A higher Kp Index indicates that more solar particles are interacting with Earth's magnetic field, releasing energy that generate auroras.
Even at low Kp values (0-3), auroras are typically visible at high latitudes, in places near the poles like Fairbanks Alaska.
- Kp 0 to Kp 3: Quiet to mild geomagnetic activity.
- Kp 4 to Kp 5: Moderate geomagnetic activity.
- Kp 6 to Kp 7: Strong geomagnetic activity.
- Kp 8 to Kp 9: Very strong geomagnetic activity.
