21/09/2023
Wow! We eagerly waited for darkness last night after reports that an interplanetary shock was detected, travelling towards the earth at a hearty 551km/s due to arrive around 3 BST. The aurora watch sites pretty much crashed as the red aurora alerts spread across the country!
The Northern lights, aurora borealis or the ‘Mirrie dancers’! These dancing, pulsating lights are incredible and hypnotic to watch, caused by a solar wind, energised particles from the sun, slamming into our planets upper atmosphere, exciting and ionising particles creating the magical colourful display of light. Our magnetic field protects earth and directs the particles to the poles, hence Northern and Southern lights (aurora borealis and aurora australis).
Usually the lights are more intense the further North you are so try using the camera on your phone to capture the light show if they are not that visible with the naked eye.
Did anyone else see it?
Plenty of pages and apps to sign up to if you are interested :-)
https://www.facebook.com/GlendaleSkyeAuroras / https://aurora-alerts.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/AuroraUK
Thanks Pauline for the great picture taken from just a stones throw from the NNR.
