David's Astronomy Pages (All Sky Camera) Aurora on night 2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27

Aurora  2024-10-10

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Aurora 2024-10-26

Aurora

Notes

Night Summary (Keogram) Plot AllSky Pictures Videos Magnetometer Stack Plots (for reference) Planetary K-Index Plot (for reference) Aurora Forecast, NOAA/Ovation (for reference)

- Auroral activity on the night 2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27 associated with geomagnetic activity up to KP4. Skies in NE Scotland were affected by some cloud / rain in the first part of the evening but then cleared to reveal the aurora display.   Activity was visible from the Clair Observatory (+57N) on 2024-10-26 / 27 from 20:25 to 01:15 UT (21:25 BST to 01:15 GMT), a period of nearly 4.4 hours. The start of the aurora activity was almost certainly hidden by cloud. Observed activity comprised an auroral arc to 11-12°, moving curtains at times and rays to around  20-25° altitude.   -  Scandinavia magnetometers showed activity between 19:00 and 01:30 UT with peak activity at 19:30-21:20 UT and at 00:30 -01:00 UT. -  SpaceWeather.com (2024-10-26) reported : "A MINOR CME IMPACT JUST HAPPENED: As expected, a CME grazed Earth on Oct. 26th (1600 UT). The impact was weak, barely increasing solar wind speeds near Earth. Nevertheless, geomagnetic storms are still possible in the hours ahead. Often, the tails of CMEs are more effective than the CMEs themselves. High-latitude auroras are possible tonight as Earth passes through the CME's magnetized wake " SpaceWeather.com (2024-10-27) reported : "A CME gently grazed Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 26th. At first it seemed like nothing would happen. Then, "the sky exploded," says Terence Murtagh, who took this picture using his iPhone 16 outside Tromso in Norway: "   - Telescope Images from night 2024-10-26 >>

Night Summary (Keogram) Plot

Night Summary Plot - North Sky (2024-10-26 / 27) Times on plot are local times (BST  = UTC +01h  before 01:00 and GMT= TC+00h after 02:00) Aurora noticeable on keogram from 21:45 BST to 01:45 BST Before 21:45 sky conditons were cloudy with rain. A dark band at around 19-23°  altitude is due to a smudge on the AllSky Camera in the N. direction

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Pictures (AllSky Camera)

Panoramic View - Northern Sky

2024-10-26 20:33 UT (21:33 BST) First sign of aurora with rays and curtains in WNW-NW Sky from 20:25 onwards, best seen in video. AllSky Camera is affected by light artefact / internal reflection associated from neighbours light condensation inside perspex hemisphere in NW direction, rain drops / arfefacts left from rain spell in beginning of evening

2024-10-26 20:56 UT (21:56 BST) Aurora arc to 11-12° altitude. View affected by rain drops from earlier period of rain Condensaton in WNE - NNW direction gradually dissipating. Light artefact in W/WNW direction A dark smudge on camera hemisphere in N. direction at 19-23° altitude effect all images from the night

2024-10-26 21:09 UT (22:09 BST) Aurora arc with rays to 20° altitude in NNE-NE direction Jupiter at  20° altitude in ENE - E direction

2024-10-26 21:45 UT (22:45 BST) Aurora arc in N- NNE direction with prominant rays rays to 20° altitude in NNE - NE direction Jupiter at  24° altitude in E direction

2024-10-26 22:20 UT (23:20 BST) Aurora arc weakening, continuation of moving rays in NNE direction to 15° altitude

2024-10-26 22:40 UT (23:40 BST) Aurora arc to 7-8° altitude

2024-10-26 23:18 UT (00:18 BST) Aurora arc across entire northern sky with rays and curtains developing

2024-10-26 23:26 UT (00:26 BST) Aurora rays and Moving curtains and auroral rays to 20-25° altitude

2024-10-26 23:35 UT (00:35 BST) Auroral arc with rays to 25° altitude, particularly bright in NNE direction

2024-10-26 23:41 UT (00:41 BST) Brighten along entire auroral arc with rays and moving curtains.

2024-10-26 23:48 UT (00:48 BST) Moving curtain and bright ray to 25° altitude in N - NNE direction

2024-10-27 00:43 UT (01:43 BST) Activity weakening

2024-10-27 00:46 UT (01:46 BST) Aurora display ended. Anomalous light in distance in NNE direction, lasting an estimated 40 - 70s There had been a 3-car road accident near Mintlaw earlier in the evening in this direction at 18:30 BST and it is conjectured that the lights at 01:46 BST where associated with either the clearing of car debris or with crash investigation work.

30s exposures taken with Oculus All Sky Camera

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 Videos

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Magnetometer Stack Plots (for reference)

Magnetometer Stack Plots from Scandinavia (ordered by latitude) H Component - 2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27 Activity on between 19:00 and 01:30 UT with peak activity at 19:30-21:20 and at 00:30 -01:00 UT Note: Geomagnetometer activity at rvk (Rorvik, 64.95N), dob (Dombas, 62.07N), sol (Solund, 61.08N) and kar (Karmoy, 59.21N) stations are used as indicators for potential auroral activity that may be visible from my Observatory situated at latitude 57.32N  (Map of Stations)

Graphed using 'make your own graph' facilities at  https://flux.phys.uit.no/compose/   (Tromsø Geophysical Observatory  ) Original data from Tromsø Geophysical Observatory (TGO), DTU Space (Technical University of Denmark) and Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) Data also displayed on SpaceWeatherLive's Europe Stackplot at  http://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/auroral-activity/magnetometers).

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Planetary K-Index Plot (for reference)

Estimated 3 hour Planetary K-Index (NOAA)  (from http://services.swpc.noaa.gov) Planetary-k-index_2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27 Not captured

SAMNET's magnetometer at Crooktree, Near Torphins  (Chart Explanation)  - Magnetometer activity on the night 2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27.   showing moderate activity with peak activity at 20:00 - 21:00 UT, with a later peak at 00:00-01:00 UT

8-day Lerwick Observatory K Index Showing max K3 on the night of 2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27.

Planetary K-Index and other information (Space Weather Prediction Centre) shows KP Index reaching max KP4 on night of 2024-10-26 / 2024-10-27

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Aurora Forecast, NOAA/Ovation (for reference)

Aurora Forecast for 2024-10-26 20:48 UT (21:48 BST) (From Space Weather Prediction Centre,  http://www.swpc.noaa.gov )

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