How to read the local magnetic data from the Leirvogur Magnetic Observatory
The solar wind affects Earth's magnetic field. When solar wind collides with Earth's magnetosphere, it starts to rattle around like clothing lines on a windy day. This causes magnetic disturbances which indicate that aurora are or will soon be visible in the sky.
Locally, geomagnetic measurements are carried out at the Leirvogur Magnetic Observatory in Iceland. The observatory is located 12 km east-northeast of Reykjavík. As aurora activity varies quite a bit between different locations, local magnetic measurements are very useful to aurora hunters.
The graph below shows near-real time data from Leirvogur Magnetic Observatory, renewed every 2 minutes. Movements indicate geomagnetic activity (northern lights) while a straight line suggests not much is happening in the sky. Look especially for sudden, steep drops in the data which indicates that a substorm is occurring, when the aurora become bright and dynamic.
Magnetic disturbances at Leirvogur Magnetic Observatory - Past 24 hours
K-indices at Leirvogur are calculated from the 1 minute values over 3 hour intervals. The K-indices below show the magnitude of magnetic disturbances for the past week. It updates automatically.
Leirvogur Magnetic Observatory was established in 1975 and is run by the Upper Atmosphere Section of the Science Institute, University of Iceland.
