David's Astronomy Pages (All Sky Camera) Aurora on night 2024-12-31 / 2025-01-01

Aurora  2024-11-24

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Aurora 2025-01-01

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 2024-12-31 / 2025-01-01 associated with geomagnetic activity up to KP4 due to a CME striking the earth's magnetic field. Skies in NE Scotland were generally clear in first part of night, but largely clouded over after midnight.   Activity was visible from the Clair Observatory (+57N) on 2024-12-31 from 19:45 to 2025-01-01 04:15 UT a total period of 8.5 hours but interrupted by cloud.   Peak activity was a 60 min period around 22:25 to 23:25 UT, with a second peak at around 04:00. Observed activity comprised auroral arc, moving curtains and red coloured rays up to 40° altitude. The aurora display was recorded using the Observatory's new Tapo C325WB Colour Night Vision Camera, with images processed in real time by a new AstroColorCam program built for handing the frames captured by iSpy. Images and video below compare colour images captured by the new Camera, with the black/white images captured using the existing AllSky Camera at approximately the same time.   -  Scandinavia magnetometers record activity from 17:00 and 07:00 UT, with peak activity at 22:00-23:30 with other peaks ar around 02:30 and 05:00     - Telescope Images from night 2024-12-31 >>

Night Summary (Keogram) Plot

Night Summary Plot - North Sky (2024-12-31) Times on plot are local times (GMT  = UTC +00h ) Aurora clearly identifiable on keogram from 20:00 to 01:00 UT and again from 02:45 to 04:15 UT

Night Summary Plot - North Sky (2024-12-31) Times on plot are local times (GMT  = UTC +00h ) Aurora noticeable on keogram from 20:30 to  to 00:30 UT with peak activity at 22:30 to 22:50 UT (Some vertical lines on chart most particularly at 17:55 and 01:40 are associated with a neighbour's outdoor light being on)

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Pictures (AllSky Camera)

Panoramic View - Northern Sky

2024-12-31 21:29 UT (GMT) Green auroral arc to 10° altitude

2024-12-31 22:27 UT (GMT) Green aurora, rays and moving curtains to 20° altitude

2024-12-31 22:43 Increase in auroral activity, increase in red aurora with rays to 30-35° altitude

2024-12-31 22:51 UT (GMT) Fast moving green and red coloured rays / curtains moving eastwards, extending from WNW to ENE and reaching 35° altitude

2024-12-31 23:08 UT (GMT) Green auroral curtains and rays, with faint red auora in NNW-N direction at around 30-35° altitude

2024-12-31 23:17 UT (GMT) Green aurora arc with red rays to 40° altitude in NNE-NE sky

2024-12-31 23:34 UT (GMT) Green aurora activity to around to 10° altitude

2025-01-01 03:55 UT (GMT) Later phase of aurora display, with red rays to around 15° altitude

15s frames taken with Tapo C325WB Colour Camera vs 30s wider-field 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 - 2024-12-31 / 2025-01-01 Activity evident between 17:00 and 07:00 UT, with peak activity at 22:00-23:30 with other peaks ar around 02:30 and 05:00 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_2024-11-22 / 2024-11-23 Not captured

SAMNET's magnetometer at Crooktree, Near Torphins  (Chart Explanation)  - Magnetometer activity on the night 2024-12-31 / 2025-01-01   showing highest activity at 23:00 to 00:00 UT

8-day Lerwick Observatory K Index Showing max K4 on the night of 2024-12-31 / 2025-01-01

Planetary K-Index and other information (Space Weather Prediction Centre) shows KP Index reaching max KP5 on night of 2024-12-31 / 2025-01-01

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Aurora Forecast, NOAA/Ovation (for reference)

Aurora Forecast for 2024-12-31 22:54 UT (GMT) (From Space Weather Prediction Centre,  http://www.swpc.noaa.gov )

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