Name: _____________________________________________ Date: _________________________________ How’s the Solar Weather? Planetary K Index coronal mass ejection Background: A geomagnetic storm occurs when a (CME) erupts from the sun and reaches Earth in one to three days. The CME consists of magnetic fields and solar wind (ionized particles such as protons and magnetic electrons) that interact with Earth’s field. This creates auroras, damages electrical equipment, and disrupts communication. To measure the amount of geomagnetic activity and create an early warning system for power companies and satellites, scientists created the K-Index. The label 'K' comes from the German word 'Kennziffer' meaning “index number.” The K-index records disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field as an integer in the range 0-9 with 1 being calm and 5 or more indicating a geomagnetic storm. The integer shows the maximum fluctuations from normal of one component of magnetic field (there are 3 components), Earth’s observed on a magnetometer during a three-hour interval. The planetary 3-hour-range index (Kp )is the mean K-index from 13 geomagnetic observatories between 44° and 60° northern or southern geomagnetic latitude. The Kp index is available everyday at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/planetary-k-index. The K-index can also help people who want to see an aurora (aurora borealis = northern lights; aurora australis = southern lights). As the intensity of a geomagnetic storm increases, the auroras move to lower latitudes. Kp Value Geomagnetic Latitude Auroral Activity 0 66.5° or higher Very low 1 64.5° Low 2 Low 62.4° 3 Unsettled 60.4° 4 Active 58.3° 5 Minor Storm 56.3° 6 Moderate Storm 54.2° 7 Strong Storm 52.2° 8 Severe Storm 50.1° 9 °or Extreme 48.1 lower
Name: _____________________________________________ Date: _________________________________ How’s the Solar Weather? Planetary K Index Background: A geomagnetic storm occurs when a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupts from the sun and reaches Earth in one to three days. The CME consists of magnetic fields and solar wind (ionized particles such as protons and electrons) that interact with Earth’s magnetic field. This creates auroras, damages electrical equipment, and disrupts communication. To measure the amount of geomagnetic activity and create an early warning system for power companies and satellites, scientists created the K-Index. The label 'K' comes from the German word 'Kennziffer' meaning “index number.” The K-index records disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field as an integer in the range 0-9 with 1 being calm and 5 or more indicating a geomagnetic storm. The integer shows the maximum fluctuations from normal of one component of Earth’s magnetic field (there are 3 components), observed on a magnetometer during a three-hour interval. The planetary 3-hour-range index (Kp )is the mean K-index from 13 geomagnetic observatories between 44° and 60° northern or southern geomagnetic latitude. The Kp index is available everyday at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/planetary-k-index. The K-index can also help people who want to see an aurora (aurora borealis = northern lights; aurora australis = southern lights). As the intensity of a geomagnetic storm increases, the auroras move to lower latitudes. Kp Value Geomagnetic Latitude Auroral Activity 0 66.5° or higher Very low 1 64.5° Low 2 62.4° Low 3 60.4° Unsettled 4 58.3° Active 5 56.3° Minor Storm 6 54.2° Moderate Storm 7 52.2° Strong Storm 8 50.1° Severe Storm 9 48.1 °or lower Extreme