I went out to look last night just in case. Didn't see an aurora, but did see a half-dozen shooting stars and an honest to goodness bolide like the one in this video, well, at least the first 7 seconds of this video. It was pretty awesome!
I'll bet it was!!! How lucky was that?
The most spectacular celestial event I ever saw was in the autumn of 1980, in my hometown, and a very long and bright rainbow-colored meteor streaked downward in the western sky. It nearly made my sister drive off the road it was so distracting!
I went out to look last night just in case. Didn't see an aurora, but did see a half-dozen shooting stars and an honest to goodness bolide like the one in this video, well, at least the first 7 seconds of this video. It was pretty awesome!
In Seattle it's a pretty rare confluence of Auroras and lack of clouds. I'd imagine Oregon is the same. Cloud cover varies a lot with local geography though, so some spots tend to be more clear.
Hmmmm. Maybe I'll just go up to Alaska and see them one day.
I was hoping someone like you would come in with something like that. Thank you. I'm iconing that until I come to a lull in this next batch of work......
EDIT: Does Oregon regularly see Aurora Borealis?
In Seattle it's a pretty rare confluence of Auroras and lack of clouds. I'd imagine Oregon is the same. Cloud cover varies a lot with local geography though, so some spots tend to be more clear.
I was hoping someone like you would come in with something like that. Thank you. I'm iconing that until I come to a lull in this next batch of work......
EDIT: Does Oregon regularly see Aurora Borealis?
In Seattle it's a pretty rare confluence of Auroras and lack of clouds. I'd imagine Oregon is the same. Cloud cover varies a lot with local geography though, so some spots tend to be more clear.
Location: On the edge of tomorrow looking back at yesterday. Gender:
Posted:
Oct 25, 2011 - 10:15pm
I was just listening to CtoC and they said that it was seen as low as Arkansas on the 35 parallel. This was a 7 on a scale of 10 and really compressed the magnetic field exposing many geosynchronous satellites.
I saw one only once. I was visiting a friend on North Portland and went outside to have a smoke and there it was. It was totally amazing. That was the mid 1980's.
I've heard that a lot too, and thus the "2012" stuff. I would love to learn about all the geographical changes that happen when that happens.....from a scientist, though.
The thing is nobody has ever seen it before so nobody really knows. The mechanism that drives the magnetic field in the first place is not all that well understood either. I've seen a Nova with a guy who had a computer model that he seemed to think fit the historical data fairly well. It had the field getting weaker (which it has been doing over the last century) before the shift and then becoming somewhat chaotic with multiple poles before coalescing again and regaining its strength reversed. I've had the mechanism for the auroras explained to me before but I don't really remember all the details but as I recall the field is involved both in concentrating the charged particles coming from the sun and accelerating them to a higher energy level which then causes a photon to be emitted when the particle returns to original state. I think this would mean that the displays would be much smaller if they happen at all but could end up being anywhere. Meanwhile we'll all be getting skin cancer.
I was hoping someone like you would come in with something like that. Thank you. I'm iconing that until I come to a lull in this next batch of work......
I've heard that a lot too, and thus the "2012" stuff. I would love to learn about all the geographical changes that happen when that happens.....from a scientist, though.
Perhaps need was too strong a word but it certainly helps. I've only seen them once but there events every few years that allow them to be seen this far south if you can get to the right place and have the right weather. It's hard to tell the angle from that photo but it looks like they came awfully far south this time. When I saw them they were way off to the north all along the horizon. There are some people though who think we are currently entering a period where the magnetic field flips so who knows if a few years we may be getting them all over the place.
I've heard that a lot too, and thus the "2012" stuff. I would love to learn about all the geographical changes that happen when that happens.....from a scientist, though.
Well....apparently not. Did you see how clear and vivid that picture was—-right here in town? It's just such a rarity to even see them in this part of the country! (We're in a part of town with less light pollution, too)
That's cool that you've seen them!
Perhaps need was too strong a word but it certainly helps. I've only seen them once but there events every few years that allow them to be seen this far south if you can get to the right place and have the right weather. It's hard to tell the angle from that photo but it looks like they came awfully far south this time. When I saw them they were way off to the north all along the horizon. There are some people though who think we are currently entering a period where the magnetic field flips so who knows if a few years we may be getting them all over the place.
I've seen them here just once in my life and I'm only a little farther south. You need to get somewhere where it is very dark especially to the north, have a very clear night, and a reasonably big solar flare. I live way out in the country but haven't had a clear night for a meteor shower or lunar eclipse in the last three years. That and people's stupid security lights are the real problem around here.
Well....apparently not. Did you see how clear and vivid that picture was—-right here in town? It's just such a rarity to even see them in this part of the country! (We're in a part of town with less light pollution, too)
If I'd just looked out the window last night around 9:30, I could've seen them. I've always wanted to see them. I heard they only lasted five minutes. Damn it.
I've seen them here just once in my life and I'm only a little farther south. You need to get somewhere where it is very dark especially to the north, have a very clear night, and a reasonably big solar flare. I live way out in the country but haven't had a clear night for a meteor shower or lunar eclipse in the last three years. That and people's stupid security lights are the real problem around here.
If I'd just looked out the window last night around 9:30, I could've seen them. I've always wanted to see them. I heard they only lasted five minutes. Damn it.
How lucky was that? 
Hmmmm. Maybe I'll just go up to Alaska and see them one day.
