Aurora Borealis

[grendel]

Well since I missed the quiz due to it being Astronomy Observing night at our local site, I suppose I had better enlighten you to the wonderful display of northern lights we had this evening.

it started as the usual group of astronomers hanging around, looking mainly at the moon until the stars started appearing, we had heard an Aurora was possible, and while looking north and asking each other was that a hint of green out there, I decided a photo might just give us the proof - well from that point it was phones out and get the pictures- A display like this doesnt come along every day here in Kent, and so the aurora developed, at one point you could point your phone in any direction and see the aurora 360 degrees around us. I got a few half decent pictures using the super night mode on my phone (the black and white picture was using the infra red night camera).

Of course this all started just as I was about to leave, so i waited and stayed, eventually leaving a lot later to cycle home, by which time the Aurora was fading.

[Bikertov]

My son has just said it will be strongest at 02:00

We are checking every 15 minutes or so to see how the lights are developing 

[NeilB]

Here’s my attempt taken at 10:30 over South Walsham Broad.  Just woke up and took a look but there’s a heavy mist now and nothing is showing.

 

[kpnut]

Yet again, I saw absolutely zilch. I sometimes wonder if it’s my eyes that filter it out before my brain registers, as someone else in east yorks said they saw it. 
Cambridge had a good display so I’ve been told. 
 

We do seem to be getting more and more frequent ‘alerts’ in the UK and Norfolk seems to be lucky in that respect. it must be doing no good at all for Icelandic and Norwegian ‘Aurora’ tourism!

[floydraser]

A few years ago I spent £200 to fly from Birmingham to see it. We flew to the edge of our air space 12 miles north of UK and went east to west a few times. We saw it and the guide was very excited indeed. To me it was a bit of green sky through a porthole. Probably not the best way to see it.

I was more excited about being on a plane as it is still the one and only time I have ever flown. 

[Bikertov]

1 hour ago, kpnut said:

Yet again, I saw absolutely zilch. I sometimes wonder if it’s my eyes that filter it out before my brain registers, as someone else in east yorks said they saw it. 
Cambridge had a good display so I’ve been told. 
 

We do seem to be getting more and more frequent ‘alerts’ in the UK and Norfolk seems to be lucky in that respect. it must be doing no good at all for Icelandic and Norwegian ‘Aurora’ tourism!

I could only see very faint things with the naked eye - it was the phone camera that was picking up the best images 

It might be to do with the wavelength of the light being emitted, towards the infrared spectrum, that is at the edge of what the eye can detect but not for the camera. 

In the same way that a camera can pick up a remote control working when we cannot see it. 

[ChrisB]

Just got this...Aurora Australis

Taken last night by my son at Apollo Bay, on the GOR.

So the activity all over the world.

[William92]

4 hours ago, Bikertov said:

I could only see very faint things with the naked eye - it was the phone camera that was picking up the best images 

It might be to do with the wavelength of the light being emitted, towards the infrared spectrum, that is at the edge of what the eye can detect but not for the camera. 

In the same way that a camera can pick up a remote control working when we cannot see it. 

I had to research it, I was bugged by it - typically they're so faint that our eyes have switched over to rod cells (which only see light/dark) and our cone cells (which see colour) have gone to sleep, so we only get to see the "brightness" of the aurora and not the colours. Cameras don't have that issue.

 

This was over near Belvoir Casle, Leics.

 

Anyone else seen these huge plants walking around making a weird noise with their branches?