Topic: Breathtaking Recent Aurora Images from Earth and Space

[sam]

With the Sun‘s activity increasing just a bit, sky watchers have witnessed an uptick in aurorae, especially northern observers. This top image is from an *extreme* northern observer, as in way up; about 320 km (220 miles) up above the Earth. Astronaut Doug Wheelock took this image from the International Space Station, and the beautiful sight made him wax poetic

http://www.universetoday.com/79389/breathtaking-recent-aurora-images-from-earth-and-space/

[Clive]

You should be in a good position to see them from Canada Sam. 

[sam]

not in the middle of a week long snow storm I'm not. Also in Calgary I'm at the same latitude as Birmingham so not a huge amount of gain really.

[Simon]

Wonderful images, Sam.   

[Clive]

not in the middle of a week long snow storm I'm not. Also in Calgary I'm at the same latitude as Birmingham so not a huge amount of gain really.

Ah, the snow always makes me think of Canada as being at a higher lattitude than it is.   

[Rik]

Don't go to the Cairngorms then, Clive, you'll get very confused.

[Clive]

The highest north I've been is the very top of Iceland which is just outside the Arctic circle. 

[Simon]

Next time, can you bring our money back from them, Clive? 

[Clive]

I managed to get mine back at the end of 2008, minus the interest of course.  Now all banks have cottoned on to that moneymaking scam.   

[sam]

Big landmass = cold weather. -27C today and still snowing.

They do have some excellent observing facilities up north here, Yellowknife is supposed to be really nice for it. UofC runs some world leading aurora research.. but not really my thing - I want to figure how to see it on extrasolar planets :-)