The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is a breathtaking natural phenomenon that occasionally graces the night skies over Britain. Once witnessed, it leaves an indelible impression. AuroraWatch UK is your essential tool for monitoring geomagnetic activity, providing alerts when there's a potential for aurora sightings from the UK. By subscribing to these alerts, you'll be notified of any increases in geomagnetic activity, which signals the likelihood of viewing the aurora.
Stay informed with the current alert status, as detailed in the Notes section, and review the recent history of alerts over the past 24 hours. For more precise predictions, utilize the 30-minute forecast model provided by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Should you encounter any issues, please reach out via email to [email protected].
It's important to understand that AuroraWatch UK is not a forecasting service. Certain phone settings, such as Battery Saver, might restrict your device from receiving push notifications, thereby reducing or even eliminating your alert window. If you're not receiving alerts, verify your phone's settings under Notifications/App settings to ensure that notifications for AuroraWatch UK are enabled.
Keep in mind that the app does not provide historical alerts. If your phone is off or unable to connect to the internet during a status increase that subsequently decreases before the next data update, you won't receive an alert. There is also a necessary delay in sending alerts as the data needs time to stabilize, as recommended by Lancaster University.
Alerts from Lancaster University typically use data from their Lancaster magnetometer, although they have additional magnetometers, such as one in Shetland. While sightings are more likely in Shetland, the alerts are generally more conservative, which suits those in England but may be less accurate for those further north.
The AuroraWatch UK app for Android, developed and maintained by Smallbouldering Projects, is not an official app. The data for the alerts is provided by Lancaster University, UK, utilizing information from the SAMNET and/or AuroraWatchNet magnetometer networks. To learn more about this, visit http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/introduction.
What's New in the Latest Version 1.97
Last updated on Oct 20, 2024
- Added some abbreviations to the About section.
- Included Bristol and Portsmouth as new locations.
- Introduced a new optional Alert Notification "Triggered by value" feature, allowing you to receive additional notifications when the status value (nT) increases further after a red alert.
Tags : Weather
