Celestial Forces · Monitor 11
Planetary K-IndexEarth's magnetic field, last 24 hours.
The K-Index measures disturbances in the horizontal component of Earth's magnetic field and the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. It's an excellent indicator of disturbances in the field.
How to read it
- calmK = 0–4Conditions are calm. Auroras unlikely outside polar regions.
- minor stormK = 5Aurora visible in Canada, Scotland, northern US. Minor satellite drag.
- major stormK = 6–7Visible auroras in mid-latitudes. Some power-grid effects possible.
- severe / extreme stormK = 8–9Aurora seen far from the poles. GPS, radio, and grid disruption likely.
Each bar in the chart is a 3-hour block — UTC midnight to 3, 3 to 6, etc. The 1–9 value is calculated from ground-based magnetometers around the world matched against a calm day baseline.
Why it matters
Humans tend to be more psychic and can perform remote viewing and other extended capabilities better in calm geomagnetic conditions.
The systems affected by geomagnetic storms include the electrical power grid, spacecraft operations, users of radio signals reflecting off or passing through the ionosphere, and observers of the aurora.
What's a geomagnetic storm
A geomagnetic storm (or solar storm) is a temporary disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave and/or cloud of magnetic field that interacts with Earth's magnetic field. The disturbance that drives the magnetic storm may be a solar coronal mass ejection (CME), a co-rotating interaction region (CIR), or a high-speed stream of solar wind originating from a coronal hole. The frequency of geomagnetic storms increases and decreases with the solar cycle.