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Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 7:07 am
by marktownley
Festive greetings all from Iceland, we flew out here last week, but since then have had fairly grey, cold and cloudy conditions to contend with. Yesterday skies cleared and despite the moon got a brief view of the aurora. I'll put a few taster pics but all are on flickr now so have a look there.

ImageIMG_0440 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

ImageIMG_0437 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

ImageIMG_0426 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

Apologies for being quiet of late, my laptop well and truly died a couple of weeks ago, but being a creative chap got an even older one up and running but this one is so slow its unreal. I need to get a new one when I get back in the UK.

Mark

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 8:10 am
by Carbon60
Hi Mark,

I'm so glad you managed to see the Aurora. A beautiful river of green.

Stu.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 9:22 am
by Derek Klepp
Thanks Mark.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 4:36 pm
by dvoss
Lovely pictures Mark. Aurora hunting seems a good option when the sun isn't cooperative. Whereabouts in Iceland?

David

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 5:58 pm
by Montana
Wow! these are really lovely :bow next winter I have to go on a snowy and aurora hunting trip :)
Alexandra

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 7:35 pm
by Carbon60
Hi Mark,

I don't know what time you were out 'hunting', but here's what the geomagnetic environment was doing on Boxing day evening. It looks like you might have hit the jackpot with an anomalous spike in geomagnetic activity from the tail end of a fast flowing solar wind stream.
20171226_Coronal Hole.jpg
20171226_Coronal Hole.jpg (155.19 KiB) Viewed 2422 times
Stu.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 8:31 pm
by ffellah
Beautiful images, Mark. I hope to see the aurora one day too.... maybe on a trip to Iceland.

Franco

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:22 pm
by pedro
Great images Derek, I'm very jealous

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:28 pm
by MapleRidge
Great catches Mark :bow

Brian

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 8:48 am
by marktownley
Thanks everyone, you were bang on the nail with your detective skills Stuart! ;) That's exactly the time I was out. Can I use the graph on my blog when I do a write up of it please?

Last night (wednesday) was much quieter, but I did get a few nice images after midnight (early thursday morning) when there was a few spikes of activity. Temperatures were -9c, but with no wind being outside was pleasantly bearable dressed properly.

ImageIMG_0447 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

ImageIMG_0462 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

ImageIMG_0475 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

Again, there are more on Flickr if you want to see. These were taken in Hvalfjordur in Western Iceland, we're about an hour and half out of Reykjavik. Clear skies forecast again tonight so I shall be looking.

Mark

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:48 am
by Carbon60
Excellent correlation then ;).

Of course, Mark, no problem with you using the graphics.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Stu.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:39 am
by christian viladrich
Beautiful images Mark. What camera / lens combination did you use ?

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:45 am
by Carbon60
Hi Mark,

Here's a hi-res version (1 second cadence) of the magnetic declination data at the time of the event.

Please use as you wish. :)
20171226_Hi-Res.jpg
20171226_Hi-Res.jpg (97.33 KiB) Viewed 2393 times
Stu.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:21 pm
by rsfoto
Hi Mark,

Excellent images and that is what is still on my bucket list

:shock:

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:51 pm
by Valery
Hi Mark

Thanks for such good images!

Valery

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:56 pm
by Montana
I'm loving these! I hope you get more tonight :)
Alexandra

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:58 am
by marktownley
Thanks everyone for the kind words, and thanks for the additional plot Stu. Equipment used here is my (10yr+) Canon 350D, iso 800, 30s and a Sigma 10-20mm zoom on 10mm f4. Onto thursday night and the forecast has been calling for progressively lower and lower activity with each passing day, however my exerience tells me to take this with a pinch of salt and if you want to see aurora just keep looking. We were doing this all evening and after a couple of hours of nothing just as I was making food there was a sudden bright very active burst of activity which we watched through the window. Eating our tea and getting dressed up for the -9c temperatures we headed out but activity was fading, the moon was getting brighter so it served to light up the foreground nicely. It was a display of rays rather than arcs with a slight but subtle green glow to the northern sky...

ImageIMG_0485 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

ImageIMG_0494 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

ImageIMG_0505 by Mark Townley, on Flickr

Last chance for photos tonight before we get back on the big bird to Blighty...

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 12:40 pm
by ffellah
Great additions, Mark ! I love this last one. It almost looks like a sign from a superior entity ....

Franco

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 12:43 pm
by Montana
Fantastic! what a magical Christmas you are having :hamster:
Alexandra

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:03 pm
by marktownley
Thanks both of you. Last night here tonight and the forecast activity is looking really low. I will keep an open though just incase.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:49 am
by Derek Klepp
Mark great updates and the Landrover will be an icon to remember (I heard they,ve stopped making Defenders).Hot and humid down here.

Re: Boxing Day Aurora 26th December (Updated)

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:36 am
by marios i.
Beautiful, beautiful images Mark!

Marios