The auroral oval represents a region of auroral occurrence where particular spectral features have sufficient integrated intensity to exceed all‐sky camera thresholds. It has been argued that this is not a good representation of the characteristics of particle precipitation or of energy deposition. Consequently, the auroral oval concept may not be a good one to use to order diverse auroral data on a 24‐hour basis. Rather, the precipitation patterns for specific energy classes of protons and electrons should form the basis for the interpretation of high‐latitude geophysical measure