Simply..the north....

27/10/2016

Swiss Rose mentioned in a recent comment her ambition to see the northern lights or aurora borealis. You can receive alerts from this website when activity is likely here in uk, but it is very frustrating if like me, you have a mountain (the one right in the centre of the header photograph) between you and the northern horizon. Most of the activity is visible close to the horizon and I see photographs of marvellous effects from just over the mountain the day after a red alert....

Have you seen the aurora borealis?

15 Comments

Julia

27/10/2016 04:00:16 pm

I saw them as a child in northern alberta...do you know, they crackle?
They actually make a sound! We saw them once about 30 years ago in ontario too...our problem is the same as yours, freda...in order to see them we would have to row out into the middle of the lake to see beyond the rocks/tree/hill behind us to the north...

Gail

28/10/2016 02:58:51 am

They crackle? Wow

Freda

28/10/2016 02:20:30 pm

An elderly friend of mine said he found them 'quite frightening'.

cathy

27/10/2016 06:16:49 pm

years ago, as a child. that way back before all the street lights. it was winter...I remember lots & lots of green.

Freda

28/10/2016 02:21:28 pm

It really bothers me that some children never see stars!

Mary

27/10/2016 06:18:39 pm

I live in a mid-atlantic state in so the aurora borealis is not seen this far south. But even if it were, light pollution from city folks who moved out to the country but are clearly afraid of the dark, given the number of outside house lights they leave on all night, would blot it out. Used to be able to see huge expanse of stars at night, but not so easy to do these days.

Okay. Off my soap box. :)

Freda

28/10/2016 02:23:35 pm

Our village has no streetlights and the forest side of the house is very dark and we do see the Milky Way. A naval base across the loch is lit up all night though..

Swissrose link

27/10/2016 11:17:02 pm

Yes, until I began reading about the aurora I hadn't really thought about it or that it would encircle the north pole - and I certainly hadn't been aware that it actually reaches far further down into Canada and even the US in an odd oval! With the mention of light pollution, I now also realise why it's not mentioned much re. North America!

This summer in Brittany the few street lights went off at odd hours, sometimes barely after it got dark (!), the advantage being that it was lovely to observe the sky and the Milky Way :) Few people have house lights.
One clear night in September, I woke in the middle of the night, startled by the lightness. Peering out the window that looks onto the sea without my glasses on, there were so many bright lights. A little groggy, I put my glasses on and then of course, realised it was the brilliance of the stars on a deep dark blue sky, sparklier than I have ever seen before, utterly breathtaking and beautiful! I felt so privileged. No idea why they were so luminous that particular night...

Freda

28/10/2016 02:25:47 pm

A wondrous sight Swiss rose (and so beautifully described!)

rusty duck link

28/10/2016 02:15:14 am

Oh, you've got me thinking about Norway again! I did love that place.

Freda

28/10/2016 02:26:25 pm

Were the skies starry?

Gail

28/10/2016 02:58:20 am

I want to see them. A few years ago, here in Virginia USA, in mid afternoon, I saw movement in northern sky, not so much colors. Awe inspiring. That night, weather station informed -rare aurora sighting.

Freda

28/10/2016 02:27:19 pm

How exciting that you actually saw it. I would love to see them too.

Grace

28/10/2016 10:21:06 am

This is one of my dreams! Hope to get to Iceland one day (another of my dreams ...) : I believe it's a good place to see the aurora borealis.

Freda

28/10/2016 02:28:14 pm

Two birds with one stone perhaps? I hope you get there some day.

Simply..the north....

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