Thursday 28 August 2014

NERD ALERT

I’m a nerd.  A space nerd.  The stars, the planets, the galaxies, the vastness, the mysterious behaviour of our own planet and its interaction with the universe - I can’t get enough.

Relatively speaking, I know very little about space, but I’m ok with that because it means that every time I fall down an informational space rabbit hole, it’s a new adventure and I come away with a renewed sense of wonder at our tiny insignificance in the whole of space.

All of this was really just a wordy introduction into some more aurora photos.  I regularly (meaning daily, sometimes many times daily) check the auroral conditions on a few websites:

Space Weather Canada

The Geophysical Institute of Alaska

Ovation Short-Term Forecast

and I have a specific calendar in iCal dedicated to important Astronomical happenings throughout the year (Solar Eclipse around 4pm on October 23rd, 2014 - be there or be square, but practice safe viewing!)

Last night looked to be fantastic for auroral viewing.  A good activity level (low to stormy), clear skies, a nice breeze (to keep some of the mosquitos down), cool temps (for comfort) and just a couple of days past a new moon (dark skies).

We could see a faint auroral haze when we first arrived at our usual spot:



Nothing really spectacular happening there yet, but overhead is one of the coolest sites in the skies: (turn your brightness up for this one)



(that’s the Milky Way, in case you’re having trouble picking it out.)

Soon the skies started waking up though:


And it wasn’t long before the awe-inspiring interaction between the Sun and our planet’s outer defences put on a magnificent show!


Enjoy!  You can view the entire set here.

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