Aurora Alert Support

Everything you need to know about using the Aurora Alert extension

Quick Start Guide

Aurora Alert monitors geomagnetic activity that may produce aurora (northern lights). The extension automatically checks for aurora activity every 5 minutes and notifies you when there's a significant chance of seeing aurora.

How to Use

  1. After installation, the extension icon will appear in your Chrome toolbar
  2. The icon badge shows the current Kp index (0-9 scale)
  3. Click the icon to see detailed information and customize settings
  4. Set your notification threshold based on your location's latitude
  5. Receive notifications when aurora activity reaches your selected threshold

Understanding the Kp Index

The Kp index is a scale from 0-9 that measures geomagnetic activity that may produce aurora borealis (northern lights).

Kp Value Activity Level Badge Color Aurora Visibility
0-3 Low Gray Only visible at high latitudes (Alaska, northern Canada, Norway)
4 Moderate Orange May be visible in Canada, northern UK, Scandinavia
5-6 Strong Red Potentially visible in northern US, northern UK, Europe
7-9 Severe Red May be visible at mid-latitudes (much of US, Europe)

Important: Higher Kp values indicate aurora visibility at lower latitudes. The farther south you live, the higher the Kp value needed to see aurora.

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is the Kp index prediction?

Aurora Alert uses real-time data from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. The Kp index is updated every minute, providing the most current information available. However, aurora visibility also depends on other factors like local weather conditions, light pollution, and solar activity.

How do I set the notification threshold?

Click on the Aurora Alert icon, and in the popup, you'll find a dropdown menu to select your notification threshold. Choose a value based on your geographical location - the farther south you live, the higher the Kp index you should select.

  • Kp 4: Northern Canada, Alaska, Nordic countries
  • Kp 5: Northern US states, northern UK
  • Kp 6: Mid-northern US states, UK, northern Europe
  • Kp 7+: Southern US states, central/southern Europe
Why does the extension need permissions?

Aurora Alert requires minimal permissions:

  • Alarms: To check for aurora activity every 5 minutes
  • Notifications: To alert you when aurora activity reaches your threshold
  • Storage: To save your notification preferences
  • Host permissions: To connect to NOAA's data feeds

The extension does not collect any personal data.

The badge shows "!" or "--" instead of a number. What does this mean?

"--" indicates that the extension is initializing or having temporary difficulty connecting to NOAA's servers.

"!" indicates that there have been multiple failed attempts to fetch data. This could be due to network issues or temporary unavailability of NOAA's services.

In both cases, the extension will continue to retry connecting. If the problem persists for several hours, try reloading the extension or checking your internet connection.

Does the extension work offline?

No, Aurora Alert needs an internet connection to fetch current Kp index data from NOAA's servers. Without an internet connection, the extension will display the last known values until connectivity is restored.

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Showing Current Data

  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Click the refresh button in the popup
  3. Try reloading the extension:
    • Go to chrome://extensions
    • Find Aurora Alert and click the refresh icon
  4. If issues persist, try uninstalling and reinstalling the extension

Not Receiving Notifications

  1. Ensure notifications are enabled in your browser settings
  2. Check that your notification threshold is set appropriately for your location
  3. Be aware that notifications are only sent once every 2 hours for a given alert level
  4. Make sure Chrome is running, even if in the background

Contact Support

If you're experiencing issues not covered in this support guide, please contact us at [email protected].

When reporting an issue, please include:

Support Request Form

Additional Resources