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From Observatories:

A simple compass detects the direction that Earth's magnetic field is pointing. We can use this to find North. Scientists measure the strength and direction of Earth's field with sensitive instruments called magnetometers. Scientists put 'magnetic observatories' all over the world, but most are in the polar regions of Earth where the field is known to change rapidly.

This guide will help you use magnetic observatory data to keep track of magnetic disturbances. Magnetic disturbances often indicate that a solar storm has occured. Strong magnetic disturbances can cause brilliant auroras that we can easily see on the ground.

You will be using real-time data from magnetic observatories located around the world. These data are updated every few minutes so that you can see exactly how Earth's field is changing right now. On the following pages you will learn how to interpret observatory data. If you are just Getting Started, you will learn to use the Kp Index and graphs from Kiruna, Sweden and Baker Lake, Canada. It is always valuable to compare data from a variety of observatories. Therefore, when you become comfortable with the easier data available in Getting Started, you might want More Advanced Observations. More Advanced Observations teaches you to interpret data from observatories in the entire network of the Geological Survey of Canada, Alaska, Tromso, Norway, and Tixie Bay, Russia.

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