Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

Possibility of UK aurora tonight

Shimrod

By Shimrod
in Celestial Events Heads Up

 Share

Recommended Posts

ScouseSpaceCadet

ScouseSpaceCadet

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Shimrod said:

The cumulative effect of several CME is giving a forecast of G3 (KP Index 7)  geomagnetic storms overnight tonight. @ScouseSpaceCadet you might want to get ready for a late night!

 

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/3-day-forecast

https://spaceweather.com/

Haha thanks for the heads up. The chances of seeing aurora in Liverpool are very slim indeed although not impossible, so during a red alert it's always worth a look and hope for a memorable moment.

Unfortunately we are experiencing much needed cloud and rain so it's highly unlikely I'll be running barefoot into the garden again for a bit. 😄

Good luck everyone else!

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Shimrod

Shimrod

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Haha thanks for the heads up. The chances of seeing aurora in Liverpool are very slim indeed although not impossible, so during a red alert it's always worth a look and hope for a memorable moment.

Unfortunately we are experiencing much needed cloud and rain so it's highly unlikely I'll be running barefoot into the garden again for a bit. 😄

Good luck everyone else!

 

Weather will most likely be the same for me! You'll be best doing a 10-15 second exposure on a camera to check for the presence of aurora. Streetlights will wipe out any chance of seeing it visually. If it wasn't a work night I might consider a trip to Formby or Southport - that gives a view north over the sea which would improve chances of seeing aurora

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
iapa

iapa

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

Thanks for the heads up. I have yet to see an aurora.
Unfortunately for here, grey stuff is forecast overhead and and 85% RH. So while I might take a look, it won't be with optimism.
One day......

I've never seen one naked eye, but, the constant nagging at the insistence of the Targeting Project Manager* , I set up a camera and lens in the relevant direction and managed to get some images and create a short video.

*Said PM was under influence of several drams of 25yo Highland Park as it was around midnight Hogmanay,New Year's day.

 

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Heids

Heids

Posted
Posted

I’ve seen aurora twice. Once was in Newbury, West Berks during what was clearly a very very strong solar storm. I think it would have been around 1986-87ish? 

Second time was much more satisfying - around 7 hours of it from the window of a plane coming back from Vegas, beautiful dark purple and green hues. 

Definitely possible this far down south, but I think it was very much a fluke seeing it when I did in Newbury. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Shimrod

Shimrod

Posted
  • Author
Posted
52 minutes ago, Heids said:

I’ve seen aurora twice. Once was in Newbury, West Berks during what was clearly a very very strong solar storm. I think it would have been around 1986-87ish? 

Second time was much more satisfying - around 7 hours of it from the window of a plane coming back from Vegas, beautiful dark purple and green hues. 

Definitely possible this far down south, but I think it was very much a fluke seeing it when I did in Newbury. 

I've seen aurora quite a few times as the result of many trips to Iceland.

I have only ever seen it twice from the UK, both times when on holiday in Skye in the autumn. On both those occasions, I was able to capture the aurora on camera, and if you knew what you were looking for it was visible as a faint grey, moving fuzz. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you would have just dismissed it as cloud. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LaurenceT

LaurenceT

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Heids said:

I’ve seen aurora twice. Once was in Newbury, West Berks during what was clearly a very very strong solar storm. I think it would have been around 1986-87ish? 

Second time was much more satisfying - around 7 hours of it from the window of a plane coming back from Vegas, beautiful dark purple and green hues. 

Definitely possible this far down south, but I think it was very much a fluke seeing it when I did in Newbury. 

The one you saw in Berkshire all those years ago, was it on a very frosty clear night do  you recall?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Heids

Heids

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, LaurenceT said:

The one you saw in Berkshire all those years ago, was it on a very frosty clear night do  you recall?

I remember that the sky got too cloudy to see anything and I was upset. It was in the winter I am sure. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LaurenceT

LaurenceT

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Heids said:

I remember that the sky got too cloudy to see anything and I was upset. It was in the winter I am sure. 

We had been visiting some friends in a village in Oxfordshire and we came out of the house in the middle of the evening to get the family into the car. We had a great view of the sky as the village was quire high up. I remarked that I was puzzled why so many car headlamps appeared to be playing across the sky. Someone suggested that maybe there were searchlights or even a massive laser show.

Suddenly we realised that we were looking at an amazing display of the Aurora Borealis with very intense lights and colours. As we drove back to West London I kept looking in the wing mirror and could see the lights almost all the way to Windsor. It was almost certainly the years you mentioned as that would fit perfectly.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Astroscot2

Astroscot2

Posted
Posted

I believe the forecasting of Auroae over the recent years has been quite poor., gone are the days when an alert would actually mean visible aurora from my latitude.  Last night receive a red alert, jumped in the car, camera on horizon, no Aurora?  Happens all the time now, far to much hype around inbound CMEs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Shimrod

Shimrod

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 hours ago, Astroscot2 said:

I believe the forecasting of Auroae over the recent years has been quite poor., gone are the days when an alert would actually mean visible aurora from my latitude.  Last night receive a red alert, jumped in the car, camera on horizon, no Aurora?  Happens all the time now, far to much hype around inbound CMEs.

If you check the Glendale aurora alerts website, there were sightings south of your location at Stranraer, but very faint. The local area on a global scale) can also have an effect on the strength of the aurora and the alerts often cover a  period of time rather than an immediate point in time. The three day forecast on NOAA covers a 3 hour period. I've had the same experience of sitting in a car in the cold waiting for something to happen in the sky!

 

https://aurora-alerts.uk/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
scotty1

scotty1

Posted
Posted (edited)
14 hours ago, Shimrod said:

If you check the Glendale aurora alerts website, there were sightings south of your location at Stranraer, but very faint. The local area on a global scale) can also have an effect on the strength of the aurora and the alerts often cover a  period of time rather than an immediate point in time. The three day forecast on NOAA covers a 3 hour period. I've had the same experience of sitting in a car in the cold waiting for something to happen in the sky!

 

https://aurora-alerts.uk/

I've installed that Aurora App, will see how it goes. 

Alot of photos from Scotland and far north of England. Someone on the Glendale app reported the Aurora on camera from Northamptonshire?🤔 

My camera didn't pickup any Aurora, but it was ideal weather for astronomy.

As I walked home after parking the car, there was a young chap in the next street with 10 inches of Celestron dob in the middle of the road (it's a fairly quiet street especially at 4am). He let me take a peek and I saw Saturns rings, and two bands on Jupiter, it's the first time I've seen these details through a scope, it's the first time I've actually had the opportunity to look through a decent scope, I was impressed. 

Edited by scotty1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.