Data sources

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes real-time space weather products used for planetary K-index, three-hour KP forecasts, geomagnetic alerts, and operational aurora guidance.

• NOAA SWPC — mission overview and alert products.
• SWPC Data Services — JSON and text feeds for KP time series, solar wind plasma and magnetic field, and supporting indices.

OVATION aurora model

Aurora visibility maps in Aurora Watch Global use NOAA's OVATION (Oval Variation, Assessment, Tracking, Intensity, and Online Nowcasting) model. OVATION estimates the probability of aurora at a given location based on current solar wind driving — often more location-specific than KP alone. The model output is distributed through NOAA SWPC data services.

Solar wind at L1 (DSCOVR & ACE)

Near-real-time solar wind speed, density, and magnetic field components (Bt, Bx, By, Bz) come from spacecraft at the Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point. NOAA currently operates the DSCOVR mission for operational solar wind monitoring; historical ACE data may appear in some NOAA products. Measurements at L1 typically arrive at Earth 15–60 minutes later, giving short lead time before geomagnetic response.

NOAA real-time solar wind — product documentation.

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

The Solar tab shows recent SDO AIA images at multiple wavelengths (for example 193 Å corona, 304 Å chromosphere). Imagery is served by NASA's public SDO distribution endpoints and helps contextualize solar activity behind geomagnetic storms.

NASA GSFC SDO — mission and imagery portal.

Apple WeatherKit

Local cloud cover, temperature, and related context for your selected location come from Apple's WeatherKit where the app requests weather features. Aurora requires clear skies — space weather alone is not enough.

Apple WeatherKit — developer documentation.