Aurora , Lightening & meteor in Shetland

 While we have been seeing the aurora, this is the first time i have also seen lightening

Mousa boat

Lightening out to  the east

                    A very intense lightening storm which lasted about an hour as it moved north 

            Meteor coming in from top left, iron and nickel present emit a green glow as they vaporise. 

Shetland Major Aurora

 Last night we  had another major storm, i was out at 9.45pm and green was already showing at Orange Alert

This quickly moved to a Red Alert

Then purple or a major storm as the sky changed colour

Lots of purple rays could be seen by eye and the curtain rippled across the sky

I wasn't expecting  a nearly clear sky as it had been hailing only a few minutes before i arrived.

With a stromng westerly wind the clouds moved over quick and just at the right time

The aurora had moved west and possibly east and high but not at coronal level.

As Storm Dave approached it brought cloud and rain to Scotland and in Shetland it was cloudy as we reached Orange alert just before 9pm

Large aurora arc

The moon is always a good target for astrophotographers
 

The moon had not risen so i went down to my nearest dark site. This has some light pollution so never completely dark

Looking north over the voe  is always a good experience, the lights in the distance is Cunningburgh

The peak of this aurora only last about 10mins before fading back, so you need to go to a local spot so you dont miss anything

This was the four Amber alert in the last 6 days so even though we have passed Solar Maximum we are still experiencing some good aurora, this being down to Coronal holes

Shetland Red Alert

Clear skies for a change and a chance of the aurora. We were very lucky in the south Shetland as we had clear skies while the rest of Shetland had cloud and rain.

The alerts kept coming and it was soon up to Red Alert within 20 mins

Or was not the best Red Alert with only a few rays but still good to see

Check out Shetland Aurora Hunter on Facebook for all the latest information

 

Shetland Aurora colours

 Colours vary depending on the power of the aurora, the more powerful the more colour. Green is the most common

A SAR Arc above an aurora blob down at Sandsayre in Shetland, both rare and both south of the aurora

Some nights everything comes together, clear skies and a powerful aurora and sometimes STEVE is present along with the Milky Way (photo at St Ninian's)

Red is only present in a powerful aurora and is always great to see

The aurora is on most peoples bucket list. Join Shetland Aurora hunter on Facebook for all the latest information.

The new Mirrie Dancers book is also available, packed with information and photos, even with photography tips for camera and phone and real time video tips. Special offer at the moment with £10 off for a limited period - £25 can post anywhere (+postage)

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