Bright! Aurora visible now

5:20 12 July 2003 UT:

A bright aurora is going strong in the northern sky as visible from
Montana. The bright moon in the southern sky isn't putting out enough
light to cause much harm to the auroral fireworks!

I just stepped outside after typing the above paragraph. The auroral
activity is currently extending upward from the north, through my
zenith and a bit beyond. A lot of structure is visible as well as
some rapid motions from time to time.

This would be quite a show without moonlight. Even with the moonlight
it's a pretty good show!

Bill Greer

On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 23:31:01 -0600, Bill Greer ...reflected:

5:20 12 July 2003 UT:

A bright aurora...

Thank goodness I live in the South.

Alan

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 01:36:59 -0500, Alan W. Craft
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 23:31:01 -0600, Bill Greer ...reflected:

5:20 12 July 2003 UT:

A bright aurora...

Thank goodness I live in the South.

Alan

It's nice to see aurora sometimes. I remember one time it started
directly overhead and spead spikes downward. It looked like
an umbrella illuminated from the inside. But it does screw up deepsky
observing sometimes.
-Rich

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 08:05:47 GMT, ...reflected:

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 01:36:59 -0500, Alan W. Craft
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 23:31:01 -0600, Bill Greer ...reflected:

5:20 12 July 2003 UT:

A bright aurora...

Thank goodness I live in the South.

Alan

It's nice to see aurora sometimes. I remember one time it started
directly overhead and spead spikes downward. It looked like
an umbrella illuminated from the inside. But it does screw up deepsky
observing sometimes.
-Rich

I've only seen them in pictures, and would enjoy a showing,
though not as permanent and regular fixture.

The Moon does that well enough on its own.

Alan

wrote in message
...
I remember one time it started
directly overhead and spead spikes downward. It looked like
an umbrella illuminated from the inside.
-Rich

That's called a "corona" when the center of the action is almost directly
overhead. That's exactly what I saw last night from Winnipeg, Manitoba
(latitute 50N)! Not the first time I've seen one, but last night's display
produced the most violent substorms I've ever seen. I saw two substorms,
there may have been more earlier and later (I was out between 4:30 and 5:30
UT). Everything was moving so fast! If it weren't for the moon (but that
was sitting pretty low from up here - could have been worse), it would have
looked absolutely frightening!


Brion Dolenko