h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If anyone wants to see some northern lights I have a small tupperware tub full at home. feel free to come round and 'ave a butchers

I saw them as well around 10pm as far south as Cork, Ireland. It was very cloudy, so for most of the time it was like seeing moonlight from behind cloud cover - except that you don't see the moon in the north of the sky.

The sky did clear up briefly, and was it wierd! It was this dull green, a bit like moonlight, but lighting up the whole sky and darkening towards the northern horizon. I saw what looked like rays at one stage - bands of light spreading from the north to the south.

It soon clouded over but nevertheless it was really memorable.

Woodpigeon

If anyone's got clear skies in the UK right now this is looking really good I think http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk/iono/aurorawatch/rt_activity/

It's pouring down here

Hati in Estonia is reporting a fantastic aurora borealis there right now. I live in south-west Sweden, can´t see anything here, it is very cloudy.

According to one person they were visible from Bodmin last night. Of course - it was tipping down here in Essex.

Well I think once again I saw something last night. Shame it was only a brightening of the sky in patches where the cloud was thinner than most. The one part that I would definately say was auroral was when looking north east there was a very distinct brightening just above the horizon - kind of like when the full moon is coming up but as it's not a full moon at the moment and there is about 15-20miles (maybe more) of high moorland before any other towns in that direction I'll go for the auroral explanation
So I still want to see all the fancy dancing lights and stuff but the weather isn't co-operating with me

I saw it last night in Southern Ireland (lat. 52 degrees). We had clear skies. It was incredible. A huge fluorescent band draping the sky from Northeast to Northwest, moving slowly southwards. As it moved overhead the colour began to change from pale green to a deep, blood red. At one stage in the night *half* the sky was ablaze. I saw curtains, wisps, rays, the lot. You needed to get away from light to see it properly. It was astounding.

Street lighting will have dampened down the effect quite a lot, so many people probably did not notice it, which is a great pity.

Woodpigeon

I don't think there is 's chance in Hell of seeing anything here, London's lights are too bright.

But I shall still keep my eyes open, after so many clear frosty nights up until a couple of nights ago, it is now going to be cloudy for the next few.

Nothing planned for this evening in deepest darkest Warwick uni campus (some lovely dark spots away from the lights)



Any chance the auroa will be out in show again tonight?

Hi Clive,

Chances are not great for tonight, but you never know. The aurora last night was due to an impact with a huge particle cloud at 5.00pm - perfect for evening viewing in Europe. This impact has more or less subsided now, so we will have to wait for another solar eruption to see more aurorae. If an eruption occurs on the Sun, we usually have to wait a full day before it hits us here on Earth.

Woodpigeon

Another massive solar flare! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3242353.stm

Another chance! Yippeeee!

Did someone say that it takes 24 hours for the effects to reach here? I hope so as it is Guy Fawkes night here in the UK and I doubt we shall see much with all the bonfires and fireworks.

According to a message on an aurora watch board the flare wasn't directly toward Earth and that implies auroras might not be as strong as last week but should be good on the 6th or 7th. They were writing in respect of N America mind.

According to the Met Office Friday night is forecast to be clear (in the Midlands and Wales) - so fingers crossed for Friday!

Thusday is part cloud in N.Wales, low cloud, no rain though in the Midlands.

Here's hoping anyway. If auroras are usually best seen between 11pm and 1pm perhaps the bonfires etc will be mostly finished.

I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Some bad news I'm afraid - the aurorae were caused by two gigantic spots on the sun. Like the earth, the sun rotates, and the sunspots are just about to disappear over to the other side of the sun for a week or two. No sunspots - no aurorae unfortunately. However, another large sunspot might come into view over the next week or so. The way the sun is at the moment it is entirely possible.

Woodpigeon

Yeah i gathered from the news. pity. oh well I rather like our atmosphere...I supose not being hit by an X20 CME or whatever it was is kind of a good thing.

http://www.spaceweather.com/

"Sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Nov. 6th when a coronal mass ejection (CME) hurled into space by the X28 explosion is expected to deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field."

Possiblity of sudden storm commencement according to auroa watch, link in post 23.

In other news all the plug sockets in my kitchen have failed ths evening twice. I would out it down to a dodgy fuse but ya never know.......