Northern Lights

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 12:00 am

It is reported that a magnificent display of the Northern Lights have been seen tonight even quite far to the south of England. I wonder if anyone has seen them locally? I think the display may be over now, though I'm unsure, as I did not seen it when just looking out for a few minutes from north Leeds. I've never seen the auroras and so missing a possible good show tonight is annoying. Sorry it is not directly a SL topic but I thought it would do for the general chat forum.

jim · Post by **jim** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 12:10 am

Probably not easily seen in West Yorkshire due to the high levels of light pollution.

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 12:45 am

I went out for a bucket of coal earlier and was treated to the sight of curtains of green shimmering light illuminating the crest of the Ochils.......... not the greatest display I have seen here but mighty impressive all the same

Steve266 · Post by **Steve266** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 2:49 pm

Nothing here in the deep South Andalucia that is

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 4:17 pm

Northern Lights illuminate the UKhttp://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26378027

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 8:11 pm

The only bright lights seen in the sky around here are on the police helicopter....

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 8:46 pm

I saw something on TV last year about this, apparently there is an app or something for the iphone that once installed will notify you if there is a good chance of the aurora being visible in the UK. Its not all that uncommon to see the Northern Lights in the UK but its mostly in wintertime and late at night when people are likely to be tucked up in bed and indoors. Plus cloud coverage and light pollution can prevent any views been missed. The best photos I've seen from the UK tend to be in rural locations. I didnt see a thing in the sky other than stars last night as I was stood outside for about 15 minutes about midnight waiting for the cats to come in.

jim · Post by **jim** » Fri 28 Feb, 2014 10:15 pm

Sight of aurora requires reasonably clear "seeing", which is measured by the Bortle scale. This goes from 1 - 9, with 1 being the best and 9 being the worst. My experience is that Leeds sites produce an 8 on the best nights - and a 9 for 85% of the time. The scale takes no account of cloud cover, only of cloud-free skies.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Sat 01 Mar, 2014 12:06 am

The clearest skies i ever saw was back in 1996 when I stayed at quite a high altitude in the Alps, that comet Hale-Bopp was traversing the skies. Its quite startling when you experience a genuinely clear sky free from light and other atmospheric pollution.