Strange Sky Glow

[Paul M]

We're currently at our Cumbrian retreat approx 5 miles south of Penrith.

I've just had he dog out side before bed. The sky is generally overcast but a few stars are visible.

The horizon centered on the   ENE has a broad, shallow and obvious orange glow.

Now, if it was 6 am I'd know it was the first signs of morning twilight. But that isn't it.

If it was July I'd be thinking it was twilight also, but it isn't.

There is no light pollution in that direction. It's looking directly towards Great Dunn Fell. A very dark direction from this site.

I've been watching it for about 45 min and its definitely a sky glow. The clouds are silhouetted against it.

I just looked with the bins to see if any stars are visible within the glow but there seems to be low definition structure within it. As though it was glowing cirrus cloud.

It's the wrong colour and direction and time of year for noctiluscent clouds. None of the Aurora sites are forecasting auroral activity. But that's what it looks like - very low but bright auroral glow.

Weird.

[Paul M]

It's still there.

Visible further from the horizon and further east now as clouds move around. Can see stars through it.

Most peculiar!

[Dave In Vermont]

Anything over that way that could be on fire? Forest? Structures?

Finding out should be fun.

Have fun,

Dave

[ollypenrice]

If the sky is damp, distant light pollution is lifted and scattered. I live at a very dark site, sometimes as good as 21.9 on the SQM, but if the air is damp it lifts the LP from Aix en Provence and Marseille to maybe 15 or even 20 degrees. These cities are about 90 miles away with very little between us and them and several mountain range barriers in place. Under a dry sky we hardly see any LP at all.

Olly

[Paul M]

I think Olly's suggestion is the only possibility.

The air was damp last night and far off over the other side of the Pennines lies the Newcastle conurbation.

Never seen even a hint of it before though.

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