[Dolly]

In car at top of houndkirk looking north along with a load of other people doing same looking at nothing. All saying “I hope I’m not in the wrong car park” just to reassure each other

[SA Chris]

We have cloud again. Spiked about 7, then dropped off. Don't expect to see it naked eye Dolly.

[SA Chris]

Looks like it  might be spiking again, but density is dropping and Bz component of IMF has flipped northerly again (download Spaceweather Live app and learn to use it, very handy).

[Dolly]

Good knowledge ta

[CrimpyMcCrimpface]

Various news outlets reporting that this weekend will be good for Aurora spotting due to increased solar storms. The Aurorawatch UK website seems to report no significant activity. Anyone have any insight? How likely is it that one could actually spot the northern lights at this time of year? Is it worth trying?

[SA Chris]

Space Weather Live app is worth getting of you want to track activity. There is a big spike forecast for "Saturday" not sure if it will be Sat morning or Sat night though. Moon is crescent, which is good though, so will be dark, but we are getting close to not having much proper darkness (more the further south you are I think though), but if it does hit KP8 as forecast, sky stays clear and Bz component of the IMF flips to South (It's Northerly right now) then there could be a good display, need a decent camera or camera phone set up to "see" the best of it though.

Bon Chance!

[thunderbeest]

Sceptical, the YR.no says it's only a KP3, so would be good in the arctic if it wasn't midnight sun yet, but anywhere south of Bodø only a small shot.

[rodma]

Aurorawatch now says it was amazing at half past the this aftertnoon.

[nik at work]

Currently impressive display around Hathersage, sadly I’m not there…

[Stu Littlefair]

Wherever you are, if you have clear skies go out now. Visible even from central sheffield

[teestub]

Absolutely mad in the lakes, I take back everything I might have said previously about it all just being long exposure photos!

[SA Chris]

That was once in a lifetime. We were in a dark sky spot near Durris Forest and it was at all points of the compass, I couldn't get it all in with a 12mm lens. Seen everywhere in the UK and points south

[gme]

Amazing in northumberland and for the first time it was better with the naked eye than with a long exposure shot.
I was surprised it was right above us and not to the north, I would go as far as saying slightly south of us. Anyone explain.
No chance of getting a photo that could do it justice as it took up the whole sky.

[haydn jones]

i went up to stanage work dinner in my van last night and had no idea about the auroura. there was hundreds of cars and people about and i was so confused and the. I saw it!

[CrimpyMcCrimpface]

Thanks for the app recommendations guys. Went out last minute to burbage/stanage area and it was the most busy I've seen, cars parked on both sides. Reminiscent of the 'free parties' of my youth . Managed quite a good a great sight of it and left at stayed until 1am.

[SA Chris]

Anyone explain

I was "fortunate" to be out with my neighbour who is a full astro geek. I was trying to take in what he was saying between filling a memory card, but the stronger the storm the further down the planet it activates the gasses in the atmosphere, so the "donut" of activity around the planet is normally restricted to poles, but in intense storms the donut moves southwards (and northwards in the southern hemisphere) so it was either to the south of us (for a while) or directly overhead. We reluctantly packed up and went home at 1, as i had to get up to take son to DoE hike, but set my camera up in time lapse video mode in the back garden, pointing straight up in the sky, and it was still intense. The stats stayed high (KP 8/9) until about 6pm, then dropped. It may have been my imagination, or something else, but I was climbing down on the coast and I swear i cloud see very faint rays in the sky with sunglasses on.

Anyway, not sure we will get another like it for a while; perfect solar storm, clear skies, still proper dark (it won't be in about a month), almost no moon and not so cold you are freezing your hands off (like the last big one on Mother's Day 2016 where I was getting hot aches, batteries were dying at a high rate and it was snowing by the time I got home).     

[SA Chris]

Also, never been so nervous about downloading files from a memory card ever before. Might do it one by one....