The Northern Lights

The missus just took these outside:

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Barely visible in Kirkland, Washington this evening. Best photo I could take.
 

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Lavinda Past said:
It's funny seeing people rushing outside to take photos of the night sky because TV or Facebook friends mentioned it.

21st century cave dwellers. It's a wonder they're not all rushing out to stock up on toilet rolls.
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I bet your one of those that woudn't go out to see something like halley's comet because its just "a smudge of light"
 
idahoblues said:
Interesting how these have so much red in them, the last few times were just green and blue
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Depends how far into the atmosphere the particles make it. so I guess it depends just how fast the CME is travelling when it hits us.

  • Green: Green is the most common colour seen from the ground and is produced when charged particles collide with oxygen molecules at altitudes of 100 to 300 km.
  • Pink and dark red: Occasionally, the lower edge of an aurora will have a pink or dark red fringe, which is produced by nitrogen molecules at altitudes of around 100 km.
  • Red: A bit higher in the atmosphere (at altitudes of 300 to 400 km), collisions with oxygen atoms produce red auroras.
  • Blue and purple: Finally, hydrogen and helium molecules can produce blue and purple auroras, but these colours tend to be difficult for our eyes to see against the night sky.
 
Lavinda Past said:
It's funny seeing people rushing outside to take photos of the night sky because TV or Facebook friends mentioned it.

21st century cave dwellers. It's a wonder they're not all rushing out to stock up on toilet rolls.
Click to expand...
I wish I could rush outside!

From the pictures and video my missus took it was an absolutely beautiful show last night, which my three year-old son loved.

I don’t begrudge anyone taking a short break from the toil and stress of life to find a small bit of beauty and awe, however fleeting. And experiencing the wonder of a natural phenomenon at the same time as others in your community (local or more far-flung) can increase togetherness, at a time when division and conflict has become so entrenched.

All and all, I would say last night was one of the most positive “social media trends” in years.
 
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