APOD: Red Aurora Over Australia (2012 Feb 01)

[bystander]

Is it possible to " git " a picture like this for us in the northern latitutes ? Maybe a poster size ?

Contact: Alex Cherney (Terrastro)

[Scabulus]

It is possible that it did glow green, but the sea level observer couldn't see it because of the curvature of the earth. In the summer, I can see thunderstorms a couple hundred miles away, but I only see the tops. In the time lapse video of the aurora, some green can be observed, but it is concentrated on the horizon. It is possible that during that time the aurora was closer, thus making the green visible to the observer.

[neufer]

.
But I was thinking of a plan
To dye one's whiskers green,
And always use so large a fan
That they could not be seen.
So, having no reply to give
To what Scabulus said,
I cried, "Come, tell me how you live!"
And thumped him on the head.

It is possible that it did glow green, but the sea level observer couldn't see it because of the curvature of the earth. In the summer, I can see thunderstorms a couple hundred miles away, but I only see the tops. In the time lapse video of the aurora, some green can be observed, but it is concentrated on the horizon. It is possible that during that time the aurora was closer, thus making the green visible to the observer.

[Flase]

Of course you're also looking through a lot of atmosphere at the horizon. The Sun also appears red.

[Flase]

The video has a lot of satellites whizzing past. There might have also been one or two meteors.
We have a lot of space traffic up there, don't we? No wonder space junk is a concern.

[Flase]

Imagine the night sky in a couple of hundred years. Such a timelapse video would look like a web of white lines of satellite paths.
There might even be space stations big enough to see clearly with your naked eye.

[Chris Peterson]

Of course you're also looking through a lot of atmosphere at the horizon. The Sun also appears red.

Yeah, but these colors are produced by narrow emission lines. No amount of atmosphere can make a narrow green line look red- all it can to is reduce the brightness.

[Chris Peterson]

Imagine the night sky in a couple of hundred years. Such a timelapse video would look like a web of white lines of satellite paths.
There might even be space stations big enough to see clearly with your naked eye.

Unless we're back in the stone ages by then <g>.

[wbd]

It was my first visual Aurora and I was overwhelmed with emotions.

Alex Cherney

Awesome imagery Alex, congratulations!

Oh man, I wish I had have known about this. I've always wanted to see an aurora (it's #1 on my 'bucket list') and I only live a few kilometres away from Flinders in the outer SE suburbs of Melbourne!
I always thought I'd have to travel to very northern latitudes - Canada, Scandinavia, etc. - to see one, but here's one in my own backyard and I didn't even know about it.
Is there any way of knowing (weather permitting of course) when and where auroras might be visible and if so, are there any websites that publish such information (I have looked at http://www.iceinspace.com.au a couple of times - would that be the best resource for such information)?

Cheers,
Rohan

[Flase]

Of course you're also looking through a lot of atmosphere at the horizon. The Sun also appears red.

Yeah, but these colors are produced by narrow emission lines. No amount of atmosphere can make a narrow green line look red- all it can to is reduce the brightness.

It probably did that, then, meaning any green was lost.

[terrastro]

It was my first visual Aurora and I was overwhelmed with emotions.

Alex Cherney

Awesome imagery Alex, congratulations!

Oh man, I wish I had have known about this. I've always wanted to see an aurora (it's #1 on my 'bucket list') and I only live a few kilometres away from Flinders in the outer SE suburbs of Melbourne!
I always thought I'd have to travel to very northern latitudes - Canada, Scandinavia, etc. - to see one, but here's one in my own backyard and I didn't even know about it.
Is there any way of knowing (weather permitting of course) when and where auroras might be visible and if so, are there any websites that publish such information (I have looked at http://www.iceinspace.com.au a couple of times - would that be the best resource for such information)?

Cheers,
Rohan

I use these two web pages as a guide:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/forecast.html
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/OverviewS.html

Cheers,
Alex

[wbd]

I use these two web pages as a guide:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/forecast.html
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/OverviewS.html

Thank you!

Cheers,
Rohan

[Madaya]

Ahh, I get it, because I am at a higher latitude (~33 deg south), I mostly see the 'upper' red regions of the Aurora = solved.

[jessy27]

Rohan,
I grew up in Alaska and as far as I know there's no way to predict when an aurora borealis will happen except it
happens more often in the middle of winter when it's coldest. Green is most common but I have been there
when the whole sky was lit up with all the colors or the rainbow. awesome