Hi all...
Well, I was very surprised to see any aurora tonight...I was boiling sap at the bush until 10:30pm local time and went outside of the sugar shack for a moment and the whole northern sky was glowing through the trees. My initial thought was approaching cloud but after a few minutes a friend texted me to ask if I had seen them. At this point is was a wide diffuse band without a lot of structure.
I was going home at this point anyway and when I to the observatory to retrieve my camera the display had changed to a very active, structured display that extended to the zenith...at times running overhead and down into the constellation Leo. The display pulsed in bands running parallel to the horizon the whole time.
Due to the large scale of the display, I put the 8mm, f3.5 lens on my 60D (Ha modded) and started to take a series of 5 sec exposures. I picked one out of the lot to show here...taken at 2:56UT Mar 24th (10:56 EDT Mar 23rd):
I checked SpaceWeather when I came into the office to post this and this was the Auroral Oval posted on the site:
Hands down the best display I've seen in a decade or more. I have witnessed these equinox auroras in the past while making syrup...its a good time of year
I hope you had a chance to view these if you had clear skies.
Brian
March 24th Aurora
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March 24th Aurora
Brian Colville
Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums
10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
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ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums
10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM
2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: March 24th Aurora
Excellent.
I think I just about caught a smidgen of slightest hint of it here due to the LP and clouds but had the Shetland cliff cam to watch.
I think I just about caught a smidgen of slightest hint of it here due to the LP and clouds but had the Shetland cliff cam to watch.
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Re: March 24th Aurora
Brian,
Absolutely beautiful!! I have been following SpaceWeatherLive all evening watching the KP level bounce from five to eight. Even though I am way too far south at 35 degrees north for all but the most intense solar storms I still ventured out and looked northward when it hit KP8. No aurora so thanks for the splendid view. I love the colors and the display shows considerable structure. I thought of you earlier and wondered if you were seeing it.
Thanks. Two thumbs up!!
James
Absolutely beautiful!! I have been following SpaceWeatherLive all evening watching the KP level bounce from five to eight. Even though I am way too far south at 35 degrees north for all but the most intense solar storms I still ventured out and looked northward when it hit KP8. No aurora so thanks for the splendid view. I love the colors and the display shows considerable structure. I thought of you earlier and wondered if you were seeing it.
Thanks. Two thumbs up!!
James
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Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces
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Re: March 24th Aurora
Wonderful show with vivid colors Brian, I was able to see them faintly in an urban city.
~ Petrus ~
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Re: March 24th Aurora
So glad you got to see something of the Aurora, Brian.
This was a G4 solar storm, which is close to the highest level (G5). The planetary 'K' index was 7.67, meaning it was visible at lower latitudes (in the north) provided skies were clear (not here!!).
Here are my magnetometer data covering the event:
Stu.
This was a G4 solar storm, which is close to the highest level (G5). The planetary 'K' index was 7.67, meaning it was visible at lower latitudes (in the north) provided skies were clear (not here!!).
Here are my magnetometer data covering the event:
Stu.
H-alpha, WL and Ca II K imaging kit for various image scales.
Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
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Re: March 24th Aurora
Wow!!! amazing
I got the alert but didn't think it was strong enough as it was only an amber alert, perhaps not
Alexandra
I got the alert but didn't think it was strong enough as it was only an amber alert, perhaps not
Alexandra