Aurorawatch ...Northern Lights

[malc]

I am on this site to let me know when i can see the Northern Lights in this country or should I say Scotland.

I have 2 sightings coming up [advance notice] but does not fit in with my plans. One day i will get it to sinc with me! Then i will
take off and see them without going to the Pole. But that may be fun too!!

The site is free and they advise you whats going on ....

 

[Linda]

I'd love to see them - which website are you looking at?

 

[malc]

AuroraWatch UK should get you on the site. i found it fascinating as they know when the solar flares will big enough
to generate stunning night skies. You have to have a clear sky as well and this seems to be thought of as well.
Good luck

 

[Iain&Shani]

My lad was up in Tromso, Norway last year and there were organised trips to see the lights. Said trips were about £70 a head. He opted for skiing but those who paid out saw nowt! Apparently it can be hit and miss and you just have to be lucky or in situ for days.....with a laptop!

 

[malc]

Yes i have heard the same .... but this seems a little more info into the pot to help make a trip.
It isnt as though we are waiting on site. They have given me 3 days notice today. Then I would check
the weather in that area .... at least have as much info available to make run for it. I cannot go now
unfortunately. But one day ..... The solar flares are forecast fairly accurately i believe .... its the
weather that is the sticking point.

Maybe we have an expert in our midst who can advise?

 

[Iain&Shani]

Weather Scotland..............
If you can see the mountains it is going to rain; if you can't see them it is.

Don't let the drought bound southerners know that though!!

 

[Californiaman]

I too am on Aurorawatch but am probably too far south to see anything. It is something I very much want to see. We came close to a trip up the coast of Norway to the Russian border on a working ship two years ago but the ships engine failed a day before we were due to leave. Given such short notice where else could we go? (Cornwall...! it was great) One day we'll take a trip to Norway in the van. Problem is when to go? Better going when its dark all day to see the lights but then you don't see much else!

You may have seen this video - some amazing footage of the aurora.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rULc8ungYWM

Heavens above can also be worth keeping an eye on for some interesting happenings!

http://www.heavens-above.com/

 

[Ewan]

I'm also an avid follower of Aurorawatch UK. But it's been so frustrating that all the solar storms over the last week have either peaked in daylight hours or have taken place when it's been cloudy. There's a major storm happening right now for instance but we have blanket cloud in Central Scotland.

I've only once seen the northern lights - from home - but we're planning a trip to Tromso or Iceland around the peak of the sunspot cycle next Feb. Some of the YouTube videos from Scandinavia or Alaska are just amazing.

 

[malc]

That sounds great .... I will look into that as well. Malc

 

[Californiaman]

February you say? Maybe we can organise a rallye...

 

[malc]

Get away from grey skies to multicoloured ...

 

[Ewan]

Making the journey to 'Nordkapp' is a big event for many Scandinavians & Germans .,, would be a fantastic trip in the Cali !

 

[Californiaman]

I've spent some time at work today (my lunch break, boss!) and have come up with a 5k trip that I would love to do. Roll on the next time I have a chance to take a month or so off work (dreaming....)

 

[malc]

Is there any way that we could get more info on the Germans and Scandinavians trip .... tag along?

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

We spent a week in Finnish Lapland in February this year - by plane and staying in a hotel, not by Cali. Temperature at the airport was minus 28C when we arrived and it got colder from then on. Coldest night was minus 45C. You needed to dress up to go outside. Dressing up included full thermal suit, thermal boots, lots of layers underneath, mitts and balaclava.

At that time of year travel is a whole different experience. Roads are basically sheet ice and all road vehicles have winter studded tyres. When you stop your car you either leave the engine running or plug it into a power supply that powers a special set up heats the engine and the interior. If you don't this and your car freezes, you leave it and come back to it in spring when it thaws. If your car breaks down - same story. Shops have sockets outside for customers to plug into.

We travelled around in a T5 minibus - with all the virtues you'd expect, and fabulously well driven by drivers trained by a Touring Car racer. Still, all the windows except the windscreen froze and the floor was as cold as you'd expect a thin sheet of metal to be exposed to the outside temperature.

It was unbelievably beautiful, day and night. And yes, we did see the Northern Lights! But I would guess Cali time would be May to September max.

 

[malc]

That must have been an amazing trip. Did you organise it yourself? Yes, I feel the trip to Nordkapp must be done in summertime, but is this the right time to see the lights? I feel Feb March seem best bet? However I feel the cheaper option to see the Northern Lights would be from Scotland using the Cali........ Back to the drawing board ? comments ?

 

[Ewan]

Yes that sounds an amazing trip to Finland in Feb ... really whetted my appetite. I agree a trip way up to the far north of Scandinavia would be summer only in a Cali. (malc, I remember seeing loads of camper vans with 'Nordkapp' written using insulated tape on their windscreens when I was in Norway years ago - not an organised trip but more a destination to be reached).

I think you stand the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights the farther north you go ... and pray for clear skies. Nov to March is probably the optimum time. You really have to go up to Shetland or Orkney to stand a decent chance, but given clear skies places further south with low light pollution (Moray, aberdeenshire, St Andrews even) sometimes get lucky. Unfortunately it's difficult to plan to see the Northern Lights in advance - more a case of making a trip as far north as possible, keeping a close eye on Aurorawatch UK and keeping your fingers crossed !!

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

The Nordkapp trip does sound tempting - but, wow, a long way! One day

We used Transun for our trip. It was weird using a package operator for the first time in years, but everything worked very well.

There are some great recent pictures of auroras from Scotland and from a recent trip to the Arctic on Shetland Wildlife's Facebook page. They also seem to be pretty good at flagging up activity as it starts, but based on people spotting it so not the advance warning you get from Aurorawatch.

Sadly we're in the south of England so chances of seeing anything here are about zilch.

 

[malc]

Think I will get as much info together as poss. All suggestions thoughts welcome. malc

 

[Anonymous]

BTTT

 

[malc]

Just received a red alert from aurorawatch indicating a possible sighting on the 16th has anybody else got any info. Again it is too short notice to hurtle of to Scotland but anybody up there might benefit ....

 

[Ewan]

Unfortunately I finally went to bed an hour before last night's show. Frustrating since it was largely clear skies here in Central Scotland and there were lots of reports of sightings as far south as North Yorks.

 

[malc]

What a pity. Well you obviously live in the right area so the chances of seeing another are on the cards. Malc

 

[Ewan]

I managed to get a few shots of the van when seeing the northern lights last Thursday. They were fading by this point but still a fantastic sight. (More photos on my blog).

 

[malc]

Missed the whole thing! Just got back from Lanzarote ...... Even thought about going up north just to see the lights ...hey ho uk with wall to wall aurora