Northern & Southern Lights

If we are around long enough to experience a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal"]geomagnetic magnetic reversal[/ame] or at least the severe weaking period we should be able to see northern/southern lights in weird places like the equatorial regions or mid latitudes! Currently the field is weakening so if you're around in a thousand years or so you might experience this. lol

 

Myabe not in spitit but with all the preservatives we eat in our foods we may be in body.

They are indeed beautiful. I have never seen either in person but I've watched enough documentaries and seen lots of pictures in my texts. I never really thought too much of them till I found out what causes them and then they took on a whole new level of beauty. Thanks for posting Bev.

 

Hi All,

During the part of my childhood in Northern Michigan, in the center of the Keeweenaw Peninsula, which sticks out into the the middle of Lake Superior, the Northern lights were a common occurence. Not having any towns, north east and west of the peninsula, as that was cold dark water, made for good seeing. In Calumet, where we lived, it is a high spot of the Peninsula, which helped as well. They are truely awe inspiring.

Here in Chicagoland I have only seen them once, back in the early 70's. I was driving out to pick up my brother from work at about midnight (restaraunt/banquet hall job), and off on the horizon there was a faint red curtain off to the north east. It was a very clear night. With the higher lighting in this area, and Chicagoland in general, I doubt they would be visible any longer from any inland location.

The last time I tried to see them, I went to the only nearby open clear, dark space, and was promptly kicked out of the Prarie Preserve by a ranger. The DuPage County forrest preserve district is pretty anti-science and technology bunch of people, and wont put up with any reasonable night-time activty.

 

I've been awed by them while standing in Montana and also in Alaska. Silent, eerie, beautiful, and a sight once experienced never forgotten. While attending college in middle of PA, I used to regularly X-country ski at night on two back to back golf courses and even saw them there, but while they were very faint they were still remarkable considering how far south we were.

 

Calgary's not very far North, by Canadian standards, yet faint greenish glows are often seen at what we'd call lower latitudes. The more energetic and colourful displays are usually only seen closer to the pole. One of these years I'm going to make a trip to see this phenomenon.

 

I've seen them, back when I first lived in North Dakota. Nothing spectacular like you get closer to the poles, but impressive. However, in recent years (like the last 20 or 30 years) I've never been awake late enough.

 

I have seen plenty of auroras from dark areas of Idaho, but only a couple from the seriously light polluted skies of Seattle.

 

Northern Lights

Both times when I was in Alaska I saw them. Once it was bright enough to read... I also believe I heard it... the ribbons moved and swayed in a luminous green glow with a slight mix of yellowish green as it got closer to the earth, and it looked like they touched the ground a couple of times...

When the wife is feeling better, I plan on taking her there to see em.

 

Where I live, the northern lights are easy enough to see outside of light-polluted areas. The HPS street lighting makes it very difficult to see aurora

I've been to a few DEW line sites in the 80's, the northern lights are BRIGHT. Apparently, you can hear what sounds like a hissing or static discharge, if they're strong enough. I never did

Apparently, the CME event of 1989, that knocked out Hydro Quebec, folks living in northern areas of Quebec claimed the sky looked like it was on fire

13March 1989 - Solar CME Storm

I'm pretty sure it would be terrifying to witness a large scale CME, like the infamous 1859 Carrington's Flare

 

We see them fairly often. When we get a really good show, the lights extend overhead and off to the south.

Tom

 

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Re: Northern Lights

That's my hope... we are hopeful that it is sooner than later.



Also I should note that the aurora is primarily active when there are sunspots (both of the times I witnessed them there was significant sunspot activity)... or other solar activity that throws material from the star in our direction (as a dislodged prominence or a cme event)...

 

Re: Northern Lights

I must have missed the details but I hope she gets better soon. Best wishes.