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Public Classifies 40,000 Arctic Skies, Boosts Aurora Forecasts

7/25/2026

Summary

Scott Recruits Volunteers

Professor Chris Scott (University of Reading) is recruiting the public to classify over 40,000 Arctic sky images from Kiruna.
Volunteers label each picture as clear or cloudy via the Clear Skies – Kiruna website without training.
Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, a camera that has recorded Kiruna’s sky every five minutes since 2003 provides data to improve space-weather predictions that can affect satellites and radio signals.

Summary

NOAA Forecasts Aurora

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts a Kp index of five Thursday night, raising aurora visibility across northern Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and most of Alaska.
A high-speed solar-wind stream will hit Earth Friday, July 24, sustaining G1 activity into evening.
The UK Met Office’s Space Weather Operations Center issued a matching outlook, noting the July 21 CME may graze Earth and produce a G1 storm.

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Scott Recruits Volunteers

Professor Chris Scott (University of Reading) is recruiting the public to classify over 40,000 Arctic sky images from Kiruna.
Volunteers label each picture as clear or cloudy via the Clear Skies – Kiruna website without training.
Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, a camera that has recorded Kiruna’s sky every five minutes since 2003 provides data to improve space-weather predictions that can affect satellites and radio signals.

1 / 2