Aurora (Read 59666 times)

chris05 · February 28, 2014, 09:18:46 am

Did anyone see anything last night? I had no idea it was happening until I saw some amazing pictures this morning. It was even spotted in Norfolk. I'm not sure if there is any chance of more tonight but will be keeping an eye on the aurora watch website.

Johnny Brown · February 28, 2014, 09:25:34 am

You've let me down UKB aurora thread, you've let me down.

chris05 · February 28, 2014, 09:27:55 am

I only just liked the aurora watch facebook page and they had loads of updates going out yesterday. They also do email alerts.

gme · February 28, 2014, 09:34:46 am

Amazing here. Pics on my facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/gavin.ellis.58/media_set?set=a.527340127380603.1073741831.100003138608507&type=1

I have seen it before but not like last night. These are taken from my house.

I have not taken pictures in the dark like this before and have failed to get focus. It also seamed very hard to focus on pretty much a black sky so did it on manual.
As with these type of things it was all a bit rushed and i could find my remote trigger so had to stand with my finger on the trigger with the camera on bulb setting, i guess this accounts for the blur. A bit more prep and i could get it better i guess, shame it wont be like that again for 20 years or so.

SA Chris · February 28, 2014, 10:13:18 am

(I YYFYed!)

I screwed up focussing initially as well, newfangled lenses without distance markings; I had it turned the wrong way! Then got a few OK shots then battery started going just when I was geting exposure times sorted. We're just south of Aberdeen, so expected to get screwed by light pollution, but it was still quite a show! I went to bed for a bit, got up at 3, but it was all over by then.

So fortunate with conditions; big CME, cloudless, moonless and long winter nights.

All pics are RAW images will try process tonight and post some up.

Norton Sharley · February 28, 2014, 10:16:43 am

Went out to Stanage about 11 last night and very little to see with the naked eye. Long exposure camera shots show pink and green banding which could be Aurora or Huddersfield smog. Obviously I'd like to think it was the former but it wasn't up to the stuff from further north.

LB1782 · February 28, 2014, 10:35:51 am

nnfn loads of boring life stuff got in the way and couldn't get out until it was over

Duma · February 28, 2014, 10:38:00 am

There's shots on facebook of it over the Brecon beacons!

slackline · February 28, 2014, 10:45:50 am

From Mark Savage (in Northumberland)....

SA Chris · February 28, 2014, 10:51:14 am

Quote from: Norton Sharley on February 28, 2014, 10:16:43 am

Long exposure camera shots show pink and green banding which could be Aurora or Huddersfield smog. Obviously I'd like to think it was the former but it wasn't up to the stuff from further north.

Probably was Aurora, it wouldn't be as good as further north where you are though. Apparently could be seen from as far south as Norfolk coast.

andyd · February 28, 2014, 08:33:44 pm

I went to do a timelapse last night as the skies were clear near Penrith. I left my tripod at home so left it on the forest floor. I'm gutted as I never saw them but I'm made up with the shots I got. If I'd have known I'd have stayed out all night.

SA Chris · March 01, 2014, 07:02:50 am

Those are brilliant Andy. Fwiw I went out at two for a couple of hours but got nothing more. Main show was all over by midnight apparently. Aurora Buddy is a great app for checking

SA Chris · March 12, 2014, 05:24:59 pm

Best of my weak efforts. I was caught napping - wrong place south of Aberdeen!

Pebblespanker · March 13, 2014, 03:42:36 pm

In case anyone is not aware there is a free email Aurora alerting service from Lancaster Uni

http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/alerts

SA Chris · March 13, 2014, 03:48:05 pm

They do it view twitter too. and as I said Aurora Buddy is a good free app.

Pebblespanker · March 13, 2014, 03:48:34 pm

Sorry just realised this was posted earlier in the thread, should have read it from the start... DOH!

Pebblespanker · March 13, 2014, 03:50:47 pm

I only have a Blackberry Chris, deffo not an app friendly phone sadly

SA Chris · March 13, 2014, 07:55:53 pm

Sucks to be yoohoo

mini · March 13, 2014, 10:02:04 pm

Slightly cheating, but 5 flights, 4 nights, 3 days, 2 recce's and 1 clear night....

These were from a recent trip to Tromsø in Norway. In fact THE night before the aurora dropped down over the UK. Boy, I would have been well miffed to have gone that far north to see them only to have failed and then find out I could have seen them from my own back garden

Tromsø Aurora by The Trad., on Flickr

SA Chris · March 14, 2014, 09:00:49 am

Great pics. Was it the purpose of the trip, or were you there for something else? I've got Lapland skiing planned for some point in the near future to get some riding combined with aurora spotting.

mini · March 14, 2014, 08:17:53 pm

Quote from: SA Chris on March 14, 2014, 09:00:49 am

Was it the purpose of the trip....

It was primarily, that and seeing the northern part of a country I'd visited before but during summer. It's like Scotland, only on acid!

LB1782 · April 04, 2014, 01:20:04 pm

some chance of aurora tonight
see http://www.geomag.bgs.ac.uk/data_service/space_weather/alerts/alert_2014-04-04.html

SA Chris · April 06, 2014, 08:22:07 am

Seems Scotland is wall to wall cloud, couple of glimpses here and there

Aurora Research Scotland on FB is good for tracking activity.

SA Chris · September 11, 2014, 09:13:50 am

http://spaceweather.com/

2 big CMEs, size of the one in Feb. Sadly weather is forecast to be shit, and moon is full

If it's Feb size it might be OK even with the moon. Clouid is a problem though.

lagerstarfish · September 11, 2014, 12:10:46 pm

you mean iCloud

(fat handed twat)