David's Astronomy Pages (All Sky Camera) Aurora on night 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04

Aurora 2025-04-02

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Aurora 2025-04-10

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 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04 associated with period of geomagnetic activity up to KP4-KP4.5 Skies in NE Scotland were generally clear all-night. Activity was visible on camera images from around 20:15 to 03:45 UT (21:15 to 04:45 LT), with one peak at around 21:15 to 21:40 UT (22:15 to 22:40 LT) and a later peak at around 01:10 to 01:30 UT (02:10 to 02:30 LT) Observed activity during first peak comprised initial auroral arc up to 10° altitude, developing later with numerous violet, pink, crimson rays from 21:14 UT (22:14 LT), reaching up to 45° altitude at 21:19 UT (22:19 LT), with later zenith moving aurora comprised on pale green aurora and very rare orange aurora at 21:26 UT (22:26 LT) Activity during later peak comprised initial aurora arc to 7° altitude, developing into curtains with violet & crimson rays up to 25° 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.   -  Scandinavian magnetometers recorded activity between 13:00 to  06:00 UT, with peaks in activity at around 19:50, 21:30, 02:00 & 04:50 UT with the largest peak being at 21:15-21:45 UT Lerwick Magnetometer shows activity up to K4.     - Telescope Images from 2025-04-03 >> -

Night Summary (Keogram) Plot

Night Summary Plot - North Sky (2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04) Times on plot are local times (GMT  = UTC +00h ) Aurora Activity visible on colour keogram at 21:30- 00:00 BST (20:30-23:00 UT, v.weak), 00:45 - 01:05 BST (23:45-00:05 UT), 01:30 - 05:00 BST (00:30-04:00 UT) with peak at 01:30 - 02:20 BST (00:30-01:20 UT)

Night Summary Plot - North Sky (2025-04-02 / 2025-04-03) Times on plot are local times (GMT  = UTC +00h ) Aurora visible on b/w keogram at  01:30 - 05:00 BST (00:30-04:00 UT) with peak at 02:05 - 02:15 BST (01:05-02:15 UT)

Scandinavia Magnetometers vs NorthCam Keogram - 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04

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Pictures (AllSky Camera) - Under Construction

Panoramic View - Northern Sky

2025-04-03 20:08 UT (21:08 LT) Very faint green aurora arc emerging in twilight sky. Red sunset coolour in N-NNW direction

2025-04-03 20:24 UT (21:24 LT) Auroral arc becoming more easily defined as sky darkens. Red sunset coolour in N-NNW direction

2025-04-03 20:35 UT (21:35 LT) Aurora arc climbing to x °altitude. Higher patch of green aurora  in NNE direction

2025-04-03 20:58 UT (21:58 LT) Bright green auroral arc to 10° altitude

2025-04-03 21:11 UT (22:11 LT) Aurora arc. Lower band developing

2025-04-03 21:14 UT (22:14 LT) Auroral arc,splitting into bands, faint violet rays developing in NW to NNE directions to 25° altitude.

2025-04-03 21:15 UT (22:15 LT)  Green aurora bands along northern horizon with numerous violot and occasional crimson rays

2025-04-03 21:16 UT (22:16 LT)  Green aurora bands along northern horizon with numerous violet & mauve rays to 35° altitude.

2025-04-03 21:18 UT (22:18 LT) Green aurora bands along northern horizon with numerous violet & red rays, rapid changes in colour & intensity

2025-04-03 21:19 UT (22:19 LT) Green aurora bands along northern horizon with numerous violet & red rays to 45° altitude. Rapid changes in colour & intensity

2025-04-03 21:20 UT (22:20 LT) Green aurora bands along northern horizon with numerous violet, pink,crimson & red rays

2025-04-03 21:25 UT (22:25 LT) Green aurora bands along northern horizon with curtains in NNW direction, violet & pink rays in NW-NNW driection and diffuse aurora in N directions. Pale green aurora patches in NW - NNW direction.

2025-04-03 21:26 UT (22:26 LT) here Green aurora bands along northern horizon, with crimson aurora / rays in NNW  & NNE directions. Pale green aurora patches in NW - NNW direction at 23° altitude. Rare orange aurora patch in N direction at 23° altitude. The orange colour is a result of mixing of green light coming from the 'higher' arc with red light coming from the rays above the more distant 'lower' arc. The 'higher' arc appears green rather than red, because it is sitting at a similar height above the earth's surface as the 'lower' arc.  It appears higher because it is much closer to the camera than the distant 'lower arc'.

2025-04-03 21:29 UT (22:29 LT) Green aurora bands along northern horizon, with diffuse crimson aurora in NNW  & NNE directions. Pale green aurora patches in NW - NNW direction at x° altitude

2025-04-03 21:33 UT (22:33 LT)  Pink aurora rays in N-NNE direction

2025-04-03 21:36 UT (22:36 LT)  Green aurora along entire northern horizon.  Bright pink and red aurora in NW to N directions to 30° altitude)

2025-04-03 21:45 UT (22:45 LT)  Green aurora with pink aurora in NNW direction, Violet aurora / rays in N and NNE direction

2025-04-03 21:52 UT (22:52 LT) Green aurora curtains, crimson aurora in NW direction

2025-04-03 22:28 UT (23:28 LT) Weak aurora bans

2025-04-03 23:24 UT (00:24 LT) Weak aurora along northern horizon

2025-04-04 00:49 UT (01:49 LT)  Meteor in N direction (8-14° altitude)

2025-04-04 00:57 UT (01:57 LT)  Auroral arc developing

2025-04-04 01:04 UT (02:04 LT)  Auroral arc to 7° altitude, with some curtains and crimson coloured rays in NNW sky

2025-04-04 01:07 UT (02:07 LT) Auroral arc with curtains and crimson coloured rays to 25° altitude

2025-04-04 01:17 UT (02:17 LT)  Aurora arc with curtains and diffuse violet aurora above

2025-04-04 01:25 UT (02:25 LT) Green aurora bands with curtains and crimson rays in N - NNE direction to 25° altitude., and very faint violet rays in NNW direction to 15° altitude.

2025-04-04 01:31 UT (02:31 LT)  Green aurora bands with curtains and diffuse violet rays.

2025-04-04 01:38 UT (02:38 LT)  Auroral activity continuing, patchy green curtains with local faint violet/crimson aurora/rays.

2025-04-04 01:48 UT (02:48 LT)  Auroral activity continuing, patchy green curtains

2025-04-04 01:59 UT (02:59 LT)  Auroral activity continuing, patchy green curtains

2025-04-04 02:18 UT (03:18 LT)  Auroral activity continuing, patchy green curtains. Moon

2025-04-04 02:35 UT (03:35 LT)  Weak auroral activity. Occasional faint rays in NNE direction.

2025-04-04 02:49 UT (03:49 LT)  Auroral arc reestablished. Moon setting

2025-04-04 03:10 UT (04:10 LT)  Continuing weak activity, Occasional ray in NNE direction.

15s frames taken with Tapo C325WB Colour Camera vs 30s wider-field exposures taken with Oculus All Sky Camera

Selected AllSky Images

2025-04-04 21:18 UT (22:18 LT)  Auroral rays in nothern sky (WNW to NE directions) Rays moving from west to east

2025-04-04 21:26 UT (22:26 LT)  Aurora Patch showing movement towards zenith

30s exposures taken with Oculus All Sky Camera

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 Videos - Under Construction

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Magnetometer Stack Plots (for reference)

Magnetometer Stack Plots from Scandinavia (ordered by latitude) H Component - 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04 Activity between 13:00 to  06:00 UT, with peaks in activity at around 19:50, 21:30, 02:00 & 04:50 UT, with the largest peak at 21:15-21:45 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_2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04 Not captured

SAMNET's magnetometer at Sumburgh, Shetland  (Chart Explanation)  - Geomagnetic activity on the night 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04 Plot shows elevated activity at 21:00 to 22:00 UT and later at 02:00 to 03:00 UT

8-day Lerwick Observatory K Index Showing max K4 on the night 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04

Planetary K-Index and other information (Space Weather Prediction Centre) shows maximum Kp4.5 during the night 2025-04-03 / 2025-04-04

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Aurora Forecast, NOAA/Ovation (for reference)

Aurora Forecast for 2025-04-03 21:52 UT (GMT) (From Space Weather Prediction Centre,  http://www.swpc.noaa.gov )

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