✅ How to Read the GOES Magnetometer Chart (Made Simple):
- Start here and see live satellite data: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-magnetometer
- Goes 19 -the red line = the east coast
- UTC time is 4 hours ahead of EST and you can see that time at the bottom of the graph
- Set the graph to the 7 day view and look at the flowing pattern. Note any changes outside the pattern like sudden drops. Those are substorms!
- When there is a sharp and sudden drop, that is a substorm building, when it spikes back up, at the peak, that is when aurora is visible in real time! Clear skies and storm strength permitting.
- instead of running outside every 10 minutes, log onto the live camera in Maine to see if the northern lights are at least visible there: if so, then feel free to venture outside – https://www.youtube.com/live/Xe2g_54uj_U
- Then download an aurora app like Aurora or Aurora Alerts which heavily relies on predictions and the KP value being high which isn’t correct but its a good reference.
- Now feel free to zoom into the 3 day or 6 hour data from the 7 day on the goes top bar.
- Then browse the top blue header and hit “dashboard” then “Aurora” to see the official predictions.
- Yes, you can see the northern lights outside the predicted circle.
- 🔴 Red Line = GOES-19 (East Coast) — This satellite hovers over 75°W, watching the space weather above the Eastern U.S.
- 🔵 Blue Line = GOES-18 (West Coast) — This one sits over 137°W, covering the Western U.S. and Pacific region.
- Both lines show Hp, the Sun–Earth magnetic field direction — the most sensitive for detecting substorms.
- Watch the red line for sudden drops or sharp spikes — that’s often a sign of a substorm brewing!
- Blue line reacting first? That could mean the storm is hitting the West first and may move eastward.
🚫 Ignore “Arcjet Start/End” labels!
- That just means the satellite fired a steering thruster.
- It can cause a fake drop — not related to solar activity.
- Think of it as a calibration burp, not a cosmic event.
🌐 You’re Watching What the Scientists Watch
- By visiting NOAA’s site, you’re reading live space weather data straight from orbit — just like NASA and NOAA scientists do.
- This isn’t a simulation or app guess — it’s real-time data from a billion-dollar satellite monitoring Earth’s magnetic field.
- You’re essentially logged into the same tools space weather experts use to issue alerts and track auroras!