The Aurora Borealis - Back from my trip

As many of you know, I took some time off to go on a cruise around the Arctic Circle last weekend in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

To see a full report of my trip - go to blog.myspace.com...

All I can say is WOW! Boy was I lucky!!

Ross

Lucky You nomadrush

I always try to get a port side window seat when flying back from the USA and, although we don't go too far North, I have still seen some great light shows.

There are some stunning photos at the site below. Doesn't look like there have been updates for quite some time but it's worth a look.

www.northern-lights.no...

reply to post by nomadrush

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thanks for the update nomadrush,

will check out your site.

thanks

snoopyuk

That is sooooo awesome that you got to see the Northern Lights! I love Auroras. I am always looking at pictures of them!

image source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2386/1573364449_f54ed8f4e4.jpg
That must have been quite a spectacle.
There was a massive cme well over a decade ago and it was pure bright green.The Curtain sheet flapping effect was incredible.

Here are current facts about the Northern lights.

Letters to Nature
Nature 410, 557-560 (29 March 2001) | doi:10.1038/35069018; Received 7 June 2000; Accepted 12 December 2000

Rapid magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere mediated by whistler waves
X. H. Deng and H. Matsumoto


[Quote]
Radio Science Center for Space and Atmosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Correspondence to: H. Matsumoto Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to H.M. (e-mail: Email: matsumot@kurasc.kyoto-u.ac.jp).


Top of pageMagnetic reconnection has a crucial role in a variety of plasma environments1, 2, 3 in providing a mechanism for the fast release of stored magnetic energy. During reconnection the plasma forms a 'magnetic nozzle', like the nozzle of a hose, and the rate is controlled by how fast plasma can flow out of the nozzle. But the traditional picture of reconnection has been unable to explain satisfactorily the short timescales associated with the energy release, because the flow is mediated by heavy ions with a slow resultant velocity. Recent theoretical work4, 5, 6 has suggested that the energy release is instead mediated by electrons in waves called 'whistlers', (Whistle ) which move much faster for a given perturbation of the magnetic field because of their smaller mass. Moreover, the whistler velocity and associated plasma velocity both increase as the 'nozzle' becomes narrower. A narrower nozzle therefore no longer reduces the total plasma flow—the outflow is independent of the size of the nozzle. Here we report observations demonstrating that reconnection in the magnetosphere is driven by whistlers, in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Aurora is freaky cool. Pilots have reported 'sprites' that are really freaky cool. We know so little of the planet we inhabit.

reply to post by jpm1602

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Yeah, we recently did a weather balloon project with the Japanese at my work where we attached a camera to our weather balloons and tried to videotape the red sprite phenomenen which occurs above thunderstorms. Being in the tropics we had the perfect conditions. Unfortunantly we haven't heard back from the Japanese so not sure if they captured any on film

elf.gi.alaska.edu...

I remember that event. it lasted a couple of nights and here in northern wisconsin it was a blanket red color in the night sky. It was like waves rippling across the night sky very fast from north to south. Was an awe inspiring sight.

From the little research I have done on sprites they are much like hens teeth. Right place, right time. An enigma in the furthest reaches of the atmosphere. Can you imagine getting all the astronauts together for a shakedown to tell us all of what they have seen? I was just watching the Japanese American who lost his mother now on the ISS on the cbs morning show and they showed a shot of earth times three for a few seconds and I 'swear' I saw a white luminous disk at 7 oclock pulsating in the black of the night shot. They panned quickly away from it times three.
Those guys and gals have to have stories that would rock. I loved Commander Collins asking Houston what that brilliant white orb was that sidled up to the shuttle on her mission, composed, but obviously blown away.

[edit on 31-12-2007 by jpm1602]

Awesome! Ilive in central Alaska and see them all the time here. I never get used to seeing them....and have been known to stand outside in 0 degrees wearing just shorts snapping pictures!

Sounds like you had a great trip - how fun!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!

I would love to spend some time in Northern Canada studying and videoing this phenomena.

Ross

I have read long ago that under certain conditions one can actually 'hear' an electrical buzzing very near the aurora. I'll never forget laying in a vineyard late at night with my girlfriend watching the perseides meteor shower and actually hearing a bolide come into the atmosphere, way out in God's country. We looked at each other and confirmed what we heard.