[SA Chris]

Only fat fingered I'll have you know. If I was fat handed I'd be half OK at jamming.

[Muesli]

Display last night in Kirkwall according to my kids (first since they moved up there).

[SA Chris]

Yup. Cloudy further South though. I sat freezing my fingers off at Loch Lomond, getting photos of moving clouds. Those in the know reckon there's an enormous sunspot right now which might just deliver a decent CME (make it Saturday night please!)

[andyd]

Looks like something might be in store for us tonight. Clear skies in Yorkshire if it gets this far south

[rich d]

For those of you who know Ollie Wright he's out in the Arctic photographing the lights. Some proper amazing shots on his facebook, might make up for the misty sky at the moment. https://www.facebook.com/oliver.wright.5245?fref=nf

[slackline]

Also posts some of them on Flickr


The Ice Cave, an Aurora, a Shooting Star and the Andromeda Galaxy by Oliver C Wright, on Flickr


The Scream or Raiders of the last Ark? by Oliver C Wright, on Flickr


Green Ice is Nice by Oliver C Wright, on Flickr

[andy_e]

All his photography is amazing! His icicle photos are next level.

[LB1782]

possibly useful links for those with a chance of clear skies

Current global conditions

UK conditions more wiggles = better chance.

twitter social app including UK conditions, tweets and cloud cover for those with a twitter login

[bigtuboflard]

Some sightings in the Peak last night https://www.tomhodgson.co.uk/photo-of-the-day/northern-lights-the-aurora-borealis-in-derbyshire/

[rich d]

When the mist cleared it was really clear, however despite getting excited about different glow to the North I realized it was just the flood lights from Notts County. Really must drive somewhere dark and quiet to see this one day.

[SA Chris]

We had cloud and fog Great sightings from Cummingston and Lewis.

[Johnny Brown]

Some green curtains were briefly visible in long exposures from Stanage - I couldn't see anything with the naked eye. Judging by the pic above I maybe went home too early, nothing worth posting. The mist was really picking up the light from Sheffield and Manchester - several of the photos I've seen look a lot like the light pollution. Either I don't know what I'm looking at or folk are shopping the orange to pink, or somehow filtering it out.

[gme]

It was cloudy here last night so no show.

I always find the pictures posted very miss leading as, in my limited experience, what you see with the naked eye is pretty underwhelming but the media never tell people that the images they show are due to long exposure shots. I have only ever seen them from England and Scotland and its never been that impressive until i have looked at the photos.

[Johnny Brown]

Best view I've had was driving north up the A1 about ten years back. Green columns turning to red, clearly visible. South of Scotch corner too so not super dark.

[SA Chris]

I don't think it's just to do with long exposures, also that a sensor is capable of discerning colour a lot better than the human eye in low light conditions. The one last Feb had colours visible to the eye, and that was from our house, with Aberdeen light pollution to the north. Was unusually good conditions; KP 7, cloudless skies and no moon. Last night the KP was at 8 for a while, moon is just new, but was really cloudy and foggy for most of NE Scotland. Might have seen something up on the Moray coast, but that was hit an d miss, plus I was knackered having driven back from Edinburgh late the night before. And having stopped to get pics of Forth Rail Bridge, and Third crossing being built.

[andy_e]

How did they manage to build the Forth crossing before the third?

[Johnny Brown]

No that was the firth. Fella had a lisp apparently.

[andy_e]

For those of you who know Ollie Wright he's out in the Arctic photographing the lights. Some proper amazing shots on his facebook, might make up for the misty sky at the moment. https://www.facebook.com/oliver.wright.5245?fref=nf

All his photography is amazing! His icicle photos are next level.

He's put some from last night up on Facebook, they're incredible!

No that was the firth. Fella had a lisp apparently.

Ba-boom tish.

[cowboyhat]

Some green curtains were briefly visible in long exposures from Stanage - I couldn't see anything with the naked eye.  Either I don't know what I'm looking at or folk are shopping the orange to pink, or somehow filtering it out.

I don't think it's just to do with long exposures, also that a sensor is capable of discerning colour a lot better than the human eye in low light conditions.

Yes, I imagine a lot of people who've seen photos of the aurora are quite disappointed when they get to see it for real. I'm not a fan of the long exposures that have been pulled out a lot in post: if the snow looks white in the picture its too much. Remember these photos where taken in the pitch back!

With this below I tried not to pull it out too much so its a bit more naturalistic because that is what I wanted. Not to devalue the photos like that of Oliver Wright, its art, it doesn't have to be real.

[gme]

Thats much more like what you see with your eye. When its really good you can see the green and pinks with your eye but not to the extent you get in photos.

 I am lucky enough to live in an area with very little light pollution and you can see it a lot, but most of the time it looks like a slight light on the horizon, as if there is a town over the back of a hill.

[cjsheps]

Can anybody recommend a spot within an hour or two of Manchester to go out tonight?

[slackline]

Can anybody recommend a spot within an hour or two of Manchester to go out tonight?

http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/int_dark_sky_places.html

[cjsheps]

Cheers. What do UKB-ers reckon the likelihood is of seeing Aurora in the Peak tonight, given the forecast for cloud?

[SA Chris]

Surely you just answered your own question? Keep an eye on the Aurora Watch UK App, or Aurora Notifier (although this needs a bit of interpretation) and see if you are lucky with a break in the clouds. Given last night was supposed to be the peak of activity, I think your chances aren't great though.

[cjsheps]

True. Friends have bailed, and it turns out that I was looking at Aurorawatch 24 hours in the past. I was feeling optimistic, seeing last night's big spike and thinking it was a prediction!