Aurora Borealis season open 2013/14

After reading reports that the solar wind stream could buffer theearth’smagnetic field at the weekend (04/08/13) I headed out to a good vantage point as clear skies were due to continue through the night. A small amount of trueastronomicaldarkness arrives back in August in the British isles and I knew there was a chance of viewing the northern horizon with the right conditions for a potential auroradisplay.

The sunset remains finallydisappearedat around 1am and I started to shoot some long exposures on the camera, and to my excitement….I got green! The display built up throughout the early hours and peaked at around 2am with spectacular dancing columns moving from left to right. I went to another view point later on just before sunrise and the display turned into a beautiful high rising halo as the morning light took over proceedings.

Dancing columns over the hebridean sea…

It is lookingpromisingfor more strong aurora showings in the British isles this winter as something big is about to happen to the sun according to measurements from NASA supportedobservatories. The suns vastmagneticfield is about to flip. It could be only 3-4 months away and would have ripple effects throughout the solar system. The reversal will mark the mid point of solar cycle 24. The suns magnetic field changes polarity every 11 years and we are currently at that stage of the cycle known as solar max. This next 12 months could be the best chance toexperiencethe northern lights for over a decade.

Halo aurora with the sunrise brewing on the horizon

Viewing the aurora spectacle along with the incredible star lit sky made me wonder why does tourism have to shut down in the winter months around the Hebrides? The chance to view and learn about the night sky and also capture it with a camera could be a big tourist drive. Theingredientsare perfect for astronomy viewing with little lightpollution,plenty of cloudless nights and the northerly position on the globe increasing the chance of aurora.

pulsating beams of light…

To increase your own chances of viewing the aurora borealis you can follow the suns currentgeomagneticactivity onwww.spaceweather.comandwww.aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk. Try and find a nice high vantage point(the further north the better)with clear skies and little moonlight and it is essential that you have no artificiallight pollution, especially in a northerly direction. The most important thing just like all nature observing is having commitment and persistence.

Ewan

Ewan Miles

Ewan Miles is currently working on the isle of Mull for Sea Life Surveys as a wildlife guide. As well as trying to inspire passengers about the wildlife off the north coast of the island he also contributes to the research of the marine life. His local stomping ground is the vast upland area of Geltsdale, Cumbria in the Northern Pennines.

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