Aurora alert 3/4 August

[MomaBee]

Some of us may be able to see the northern lights tonight.


Sky viewers might get to enjoy some spectacular Northern Lights, or aurorae, tomorrow. After a long slumber, the Sun is waking up. Early Sunday morning, the Sun's surface erupted and blasted tons of plasma (ionized atoms) into interplanetary space. That plasma is headed our way, and when it arrives, it could create a spectacular light show.


Aurorae normally are visible only at high latitudes. However, during a geomagnetic storm aurorae can light up the sky at lower latitudes. Sky watchers in the northern U.S. and other countries should look toward the north on the evening of August 3rd/4th for rippling "curtains" of green and red light.

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2010/pr201011.html

The Telegraph

[joaniemerc]

Wow! That would be fab if we could.

A trip to (possibly) see the Northern Lights is on my bucket list of things to do.

[avstar]

OOh will def go and have look tonight - would love to see this.

On another note, when I first read your post Momabee I thought you meant Sky viewers as in BSkyB viewers and thought "Damn I'm Virgin Media and can't see it...."

Downloaded a compass app for my phone last week - knew it would come in handy one day !

[ukmonkey]

Originally Posted by avstar

OOh will def go and have look tonight - would love to see this.

On another note, when I first read your post Momabee I thought you meant Sky viewers as in BSkyB viewers and thought "Damn I'm Virgin Media and can't see it...."

Downloaded a compass app for my phone last week - knew it would come in handy one day !

Just look at a Sky dish. Sky dishes point South (as near damn it anyway) so find a sky dish and look the opposite way.

[jamsandwhich]

I have been lucky enough to see Northern Lights 4 times in the last ten years, the last twice from my garden when I just happened to be putting rubbish out around 11.30pm and was lots of red, green and white ghostly shapes and rays moving around the sky - very beautiful and amazing. I even rang my parents even though it was late as they would have been non too happy had I not and they too stayed outside until they had finished about 1 hour later.

Will definately be looking out for them tonight - thanks OP I didn't know about this!

[sandhabibi]

Doesn't mention what sort of time to expect to see it.. Bit worrying about the Britain losing power from the such as this..

[MomaBee]

It's been raining and overcast here most of the day but starting to clear now.

Would the people in Scotland see it first?

[ukmonkey]

Originally Posted by MomaBee

It's been raining and overcast here most of the day but starting to clear now.

Would the people in Scotland see it first?

Yes.

If any of the UK are going to see it, it would be those in the North of Scotland at the very least.

[pugpete1108]

Do you reckon I will see them?? Im in kent??

[ukmonkey]

Originally Posted by pugpete1108

Do you reckon I will see them?? Im in kent??

A cloudy night forecast so apparently only those in the NE stand a decent chance.

Worth staying up though if you've not got to work early. Should in in "the early hours" - however you define those!

I'd say from 2330-0330 is best time to be looking, but that's purely off the top of my head, thinking that it's properly dark by 2330 and it *starts* to get light not that long after 3.30am