When you are comfortable with the instructions, you can go to the link below and obtain data.

SON Space Weather Alert System

Quick Auroral Images

Several satellites monitor the aurora from space. The Visible Imaging System (VIS) on the NASA Polar satellite provides images that allow you to monitor the brightness and extension of the auroral oval. The easiest and quickest way to get the VIS image for the current day is to click on the link above for the SON Space Weather Alert System. You will see the page below.

The brown tone image on the right is the Polar VIS image and is nearly Real Time. You can click under the image and obtain an enlarged image.

Below is a VIS image from 2003 on the 32 day (February 1) at 20:46 Universal Time.

A map has been superimposed on the satellite image. This image shows North America which can be easily recognized by the Great Lakes in the lower center of the image. The lighter region to the lower left shows that it is daytime in the US (3:46 pm EST). The light circle around the North Pole is the aurora. Since it is February it is dark in Alaska and northern Canada. It is also nighttime in the Atlantic Ocean (to the right).

The Polar spacecraft has a 17 hour orbit, so it may be impossible to see the region you want when you want it. For example, this image from the 44th day of 2003

shows South America, the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Africa during the day (notice how bright the image is) without showing any auroral ovals. You also have to become good at world geography to recognize the focus of the image.

This image (below) shows daytime in Australia and an aurora over Antarctica. The North Pole is down and not in view!