Northern lights for the first time from my back garden....

[Blue Chips]

The aurora looked more streaky and less curtain-like than a lot of images I've seen when I photographed it last night.
I posted those photos in the Space/Astronomy/Star Gazing thread.

Edit: Here are a couple more photos. Some red hues were just starting to come out when I took the second image. The Big Dipper is also visible in the second photo.

 

[Melvyn Best]

They were clearly visible in Cambridge apparently, but guess who slept through them all? Maybe tonight as I have to pick up my better half and her sister from the city center?

 

[tommy dunlop]

They said on the radio there going to be in the sky tonight

 

[beeRS]

I thought Northern lights meant that you had to be up north to see them. We got lucky last night to see so many parts of the UK.

So, imagine my surprise when my sister, who lives in Australia, shared this picture.

Why are they called the Northern Lights?

 

[julianthegypsy]

I thought Northern lights meant that you had to be up north to see them. We got lucky last night to see so many parts of the UK.

So, imagine my surprise when my sister, who lives in Australia, shared this picture.

Why are they called the Northern Lights?

View attachment 448936

They are normally seen in the Northern Hemisphere and usually quite far north. In Australia they have their equivalent, which are called the aurora Australis, but the solar storm has been so strong that lights are just everywhere at the same time!

 

[MetalMonkey]

So, imagine my surprise when my sister, who lives in Australia, shared this picture.

Why are they called the Northern Lights?

Funnily enough those are called "southern lights". Typically they are at both poles, but because of the solar activity they are stronger and can be seen in more places at the moment.

 

[Robotstar5]

 

[fizzy]

Saw them for the first time ever as well. Always wanted to. As my degree is in Physics and I have been into astronomy since I was a kid I had a real yearning to see them and finally did. My brother was delighted as well. Really dark skies where we are as well.
Phone pictures don't do them justice sadly.

 

[JOEPRO]

That'll save a trip to Iceland then.

Absolutely not.

Go to Iceland all - fantastic country we went in Nov time and it was snowing too. Really lovely country and great people too highly recommended

 

[Turbo]

It's only took 53 years

Absolutely not.

Go to Iceland all - fantastic country we went in Nov time and it was snowing too. Really lovely country and great people too highly recommended

I'd like to go & take part in some of their crazy motorsports!

 

[Seadog]

 

[voipio]

Some slick photography there!!

 

[colnerov]

We're going to get another bite at the apple, apparently. -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c163j8551ygo

 

[JOEPRO]

The Northern Lights are set to return on Wednesday night

Earlier this year, the whole of the UK was treated to an amazing display of...

hellorayo.co.uk

 

[mike 109444]

And the weather now is.......... Overcast

 

[voipio]

At the moment, the indicators for an auroral display don't seem to favouring a big one. The last display was preceded, about three days before, by the largest solar flare of the present solar cycle. Recent solar activity has not been much to write home about. Spaceweather.com isn't getting very excited about such an event, and the present NOAA Aurora Forecast is looking about as quiet as it gets:

https://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/aurora-forecast-northern-hemisphere.jpg

Astronomical darkness hasn't occured at 52 and a bit degrees north for quite a few weeks either side of the longest day. It returns briefly at this latitude tomorrow night, for the first time in over two months. Yes, it has been getting dark, just not the darkest kind of dark.

 

[ajlelectronics]

by the largest solar flare of the present solar cycle

Apparently there was one which happened at 09:30 Sunday. Wiped out most of the GB2RS post news reports. Everything was well down in the noise for some hours although I could hear many stations.

 

[voipio]

Suday's solar activity wasn't exceptional. M1.5, or thereabouts. The flare that occurred before May the 11th's aurora was X9, if memory serves, so about 60 times more powerful than the flares on the morning of Sunday, July 21st.

 

[voipio]

Interesting article on spaceweather.com today.

The sunspot(s) that caused the flares will be rotating earthwards in a couple of weeks time.

 

[voipio]

The sun is getting a bit more active lately. There was an X1.5 solar flare in the early hours of this morning, so the night sky of the 30th and 31st could be a bit more interesting. Have a look at today's www.spaceweather.com
If you're reading the space weather news on that website at a later date, it has an "archives" feature, allowing the viewing of previous days' versions.