What does a geomagnetic storm do to satellites?

Storms heat and expand the upper atmosphere, raising drag on low-orbit satellites, and can charge spacecraft surfaces. In February 2022 a minor storm caused about 38 newly launched Starlink satellites to re-enter.

What Kp do I need to see the aurora?

Roughly Kp 4–5 for northern Europe and the northern US border, Kp 6–7 for the central US and central Europe, and Kp 8–9 for the far south.

Space weather dashboard

Solar flares, geomagnetic storms and the aurora forecast, with what they mean for satellites and GPS.

Space weather scales

Scale	Measures	Affects
R1–R5	Radio blackouts from solar flares (X-ray flux)	HF radio, aviation, dayside GPS
S1–S5	Solar radiation storms (energetic protons)	Satellite electronics, polar flights, astronauts
G1–G5	Geomagnetic storms (Kp index 5–9)	Satellite drag and charging, GPS, power grids, aurora

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About the space weather dashboard

Live space weather from official government forecasters: radio blackout, solar radiation and geomagnetic storm levels, the Kp index and forecast, solar X-ray flux, solar wind and the aurora forecast, with a plain-English summary of what it means for satellites, GPS and radio.

What does a geomagnetic storm do to satellites?: Storms heat and expand the upper atmosphere, raising drag on low-orbit satellites, and can charge spacecraft surfaces. In February 2022 a minor storm caused about 38 newly launched Starlink satellites to re-enter.
What Kp do I need to see the aurora?: Roughly Kp 4–5 for northern Europe and the northern US border, Kp 6–7 for the central US and central Europe, and Kp 8–9 for the far south.

Data may be delayed. Not financial advice.