hedgehog

Anyone with clear skies should get outside right now as there is a big storm on and we are getting amazing northern lights, they are all over the sky in all colours and can even be seen in the town!

Back outside.

lpski1

err, where would you be then, cant see f-all outside the office window facing north.

corradoboy

Cloudy in Leeds

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

All i can see is traffic lights

Chip

F all here

Chip.

[Edited by Chip - 11/20/2003 6:56:17 PM]

hedgehog

I'm currently in Belfast.

The Magnetometer in York has also gone mad:

http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk/iono/aurorawatch/rt_activity/

You need to watch for a while to let the eyes tune in but I'm currently in a very light polluted spot and can easily see the green bands, they are the easiest bits to spot. If you can see any stars at all then you should be able to at least see the green bands, they stand out as light pollution tends to be yellow or orange and so green or blue "clouds" are easy to spot.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

About 40 crow-miles from Leeds, but nowt here:
Alcazar

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Just got all excited and spent ten minutes craning my neck to no avail.

I have always wanted to see the Aurora (Cant say Northern Lights as it sounds like a crap club in Wythenshawe)> I can remember my dad telling me about it when I was about six and ever since I have wanted to see it, the Coke advert with the Polar Bears at CHristmas always reminds me, I wont read the explanation of how it happens (my normal way of doing things) as it would spoil it, to me its magical and ethereal, some things should remain a mystery, when I have the money I am going to Alaska to see it and sit with Polar Bears drinking Coke, so there !

hedgehog

Hey, bear in mind that the northern parts of the UK are on about the same latitude as the southern parts of Alaska. Most visitors only get to the southern parts :-)

The difference is that we have 60 million people on a small island all expecting to light everything up all night while Alaska as about 17 people in a huge area and only half of them have electricity.

If you can find somewhere dark you are still in with a good chance this evening as the lights are coming from all directions and the storm is still going. It has eased off ever so slightly from what it was earlier in the evening but my best guess is that it should be visable from all of the UK. It may also get better as the night goes on. I believe there is some good scientific reason why it should peak in the middle of the night, something about putting the need to go to work the next morning into perspective with the size and wonder of the universe.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Hedgehog, you are a gent !

LOL !

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Had another look, no Aurora but saw the lady over the road bending over in her bathroom, does he "Northern Tights' count ?, in Latin known as the 'Nylorna Bigarsus'.

hedgehog

Pictures of last night here:

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/gallery_01nov03_page3.html

Seen as far south as Greece and Florida!! Certainly it was amazing here in Co. Antrim but most of the display was over by 1130ish. There is a possibility of more to come this week.

Sbradley

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/gallery_01nov03_page3.html


Clicky

SB

CharlesW

Fantastic display here in NE Scotland last night from 20:00 - 23:30. It was the best I have seen here. Lots of different colours and covering more than half the sky.

lpski1

unfortunately i didnt get to see any of those, but the pics are really cool. cheers

BexTait

Cool pics, looked last nite but didn't see much, prolly cos was looking in wrong direction. Where can they be seen tonite, if newhere?

scoobydooooo

the only northern lights i saw yesterday were in my mates illegal crop of bud !!


[Edited by scoobydooooo - 11/21/2003 4:38:27 PM]

hedgehog

Currently it is looking highly unlikely that there will be a display tonight. There is a small possibility of a display tomorrow or Sunday night but it is unlikely to be as impressive as last night and, if it happens at all, may not extend to the more southern parts of the country.

There are currently 3 big sunspots pointed at earth and any one of them could blow at any minute. It usually takes from 1 to several days for the particles to get a storm going on earth so once they launch we usually have a little bit of warning.

Part of the fun is that it's an event that is nearly impossible to predict.