Advanced Auroral Activity and Space Weather Monitoring Software

*NEW* Software: SWIM - The World's Most Advanced Space Weather Software System

Monitor your local weather (cloud) conditions and solar activity as well !
All in real-time !

*NEW*: Read the Sky & Telescope Magazine Review
of the old Version 2.0 STD Aurora Monitor Software

Download the Trial Version

Now Available on CD-ROM

ORDER FORM for the STD Aurora Monitor

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Version 3.0 List of Features:

• Interface and Support for an extensive and elaborate Solar and Space Weather Digital SMS Service, so you can stay informed of conditions while away from your computer using your digital SMS capable cell phone or pager. Select from over 22 different types of SMS services ranging from notification of x-ray solar flare activity to newly reported auroral activity sightings - all available in real-time. Remote control of your SMS service is also possible while you are in the field!
• Over 25 new types of internet resources are now tracked and maintained, bringing the total number of tracked internet resources to over 88.
• New POLAR spacecraft PIXIE image support of auroral x-ray activity.
• New SOHO-derived helioseismic imagery of solar activity on the far-side of the Sun.
• New near-realtime Yohkoh-derived x-ray imagery with higher cadences.
• New near-realtime radio spectrogram images from Culgoora Solar Observatory.
• New GOES SXI spacecraft support, providing up to 7 different types of near-realtime solar x-ray imagery.
• New MSFC derived high-resolution images of the vector magnetic fields of active sunspot regions.
• New ACE EPAM image plots.
• New support for over 10 types of ground-based geomagnetic activity plots from a variety of magnetic observatories.
• New SuperDarn Auroral Radar imagery.
• New near-realtime dynamic bow-shock and magnetopause modelling images.
• New support of the "live" auroral activity discussion forum (IRC).
• Redesigned layout of resources into a more orderly manner.
• Now you can Save and/or Delete individual frames of images collected by the STD Aurora Monitor.
• At the click of a button, delete all images associated with the STD Aurora Monitor - to help clean up your hard-disk or to reset the software.
• New redesigned and independent "Reset" utility program provided to fully recover from the possible effects of corrupted imagery.

Older Version 2 List of Features (included in Version 3.0):

• Four auroral activity models are used to reliably predict potential visible auroral activity over the high, middle and low latitudes. A set of "traffic lights" are used for each of these three latitude regions to display the results. Watch the lights change from green (no auroral activity expected) to yellow (auroral activity watch conditions) to red (auroral activity warning conditions) for each of the three latitude zones.
• Automatically fetch a variety of spacecraft and ground-based auroral activity imagery in near-realtime and at intervals you choose. Watch auroral activity as it happens!
• At the click of a button, animate the images you retrieve into movies of activity. You can even pause the movie, step frame by frame (either forward or backward) through the movie, and even fast forward or rewind the movie at the click of a button.
• Display and animate Solar Imagery from a variety of sources, a few of which include: SOHO spacecraft, Yohkoh x-ray spacecraft, profesional solar observatories such as Big Bear Solar Observatory and real-time solar imagery from Sacramento Peak, NM and Kanzelhohe Solar Observatory, Austria. We will soon supplement the real-time hydrogen-alpha solar imagery with new imagery from Mauna Loa Solar Observatory.
• Display and animate satellite weather pictures of clouds and their motions on the Earth for many regions of the world, including the U.S., Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, east Asia, Japan and South America.
• Display plots of solar x-rays, space environment conditions and even solar wind conditions in near real-time.
• Post your own auroral activity sightings to the Auroral Activity Observation Network (a global database of ground-based auroral activity sightings supported by professionals and amateurs world-wide). Your observations are then distributed to all other users of the STD Aurora Monitor as well as throughout the Auroral Activity Observation Network within about 2 minutes.
• Receive auroral activity sightings from the Auroral Activity Observation Network within 2 minutes of their submission. You can instruct the STD Aurora Monitor to automatically notify you through your computers sound system when any new sightings are received.
• Participate in a Discussion Forum through the STD Aurora Monitor. Discuss recent sightings, aurora photography or other aurora-related topics in an informal environment with other aurora enthusiasts. Receive new forum items within 2 minutes of their submission to the forum. Send your own comments to the forum and see them appear within 2 minutes.
• Receive the latest forecasts and daily summaries. Instruct the software to automatically notify you through your comptuers sound system when new forecast notes are received from forecasters monitoring auroral storm conditions.
• Read the latest auroral activity watches and warnings. Receive automatic audible notification when new watches or warnings are received.
• Receive audible warnings of minor and major solar flares.
• Includes an extensive glossary of terms for those who would like to understand the meaning of terms used in discussions or included in forecast reports.
• Calculate your geomagnetic latitude based on your geographic coordinates and determine what latitude zone (high, middle, or low) you belong to for observing auroral activity.
• Maintain up to 50 different configurations and switch between them effortlessly. For example, one configuration could be set up to display and animate only auroral activity imagery while another configuration could be set up that would only display and animate solar activity imagery or weather satellite imagery (or any mixture of imagery).

System Requirements:

• Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows XP.
• At least an 800 x 600 video display (preferably 1024 x 768).
• 12 megabytes RAM
• 30 megabytes minimum hard-disk space.
• Pentium-class processor recommended.
• Internet world wide web (WWW) access.
• Dedicated internet connection is not required.

Purchasing the STD Aurora Monitor

Click here for a printable / FAXable order form.
Please note that the trial version of this software is now several developmental generations old and contains numerous known bugs that have not (and will not) be corrected. There is no official support for the trial version and we cannot guarantee that the trial version will continue to function properly in the future. A huge number of new features are included in the purchased version of the software. A CD-ROM version of this software is now available.

Sample Screens from the STD Aurora Monitor

Four sample screens (four of many) are shown here for the Version 2.0 software. Click on an image to enlarge. New and revised tabs are present with the release of Version 3.0.

Trial Version of the STD Aurora Monitor

A trial of Version 2.0 of the STD Aurora Monitor is available for free download. Click here to retrieve the download instructions.

Please note that the trial version of this software is now several developmental generations old and contains numerous known bugs that have not (and will not) be corrected. There is no official support for the trial version and we cannot guarantee that the trial version will continue to function properly in the future. A huge number of new features are included in the purchased version of the software.

If you are currently a user of the trial version of the software, please consider purchasing it if you find it useful.