David's Astronomy Pages (All Sky Camera) Aurora on night 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10

Aurora 2025-05-01

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Aurora 2025-05-09

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 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10 associated with period of geomagnetic activity up to Kpx Skies in NE Scotland were generally clear all-night. Activity was visible on camera images from around 23:45 to 03:00 UT (22:45 to 04:00) with peak around 01:35 - 01:55 UT (02:35 - 02:55 LT). Activity before and after the recorded period was likely present but lost in twilight sky. Observed activity comprised a variety of features, starting with patchy green aurora and occasional violet rays, followed by a distinct green aurora arc up to 8° altitude developing later into eastward moving curtains and brighter mauve/violet rays up to 35° altitude, rays turning a noticeable bluish shade in the NNE-NE directions due to the developing blue coloured twilight sky. 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 from 12:00 UT onwards with initial peak in activity at 18:00 to 19:00 UT and then a larger peak in activity at 22:30 to 01:00 UT . Lerwick Magnetometer shows activity up to K5     - Telescope Images from 2025-05-09 >> -

Night Summary (Keogram) Plot

Night Summary Plot - North Sky (2025-05-01 / 2025-05-02) Aurora Activity visible on colour keogram from 23:45 to 03:00 UT (22:45 to 04:00 LT), with peak around 01:30 - 01:45 UT (02:30 - 02:45 LT) Note; Times on plot are local times (BST  = UTC +01h )

Night Summary Plot - North Sky  (2025-05-01 / 2025-05-02) Times on plot are local times (GMT  = UTC +01h ) Aurora Activity visible on b/wr keogram from 23:20 to 03:00 LT (22:20 to 02:00 UT), with peak around 02:30 - 03:00 LT (01:30 - 02:00 UT)

Scandinavia Magnetometers vs NorthCam Keogram - 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10

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Pictures (AllSky Camera)  - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Panoramic View - Northern Sky

2025-05-01 21:57 UT (22:57 LT) Very faint green aurora and vilot rays emerging in twilight sky.

2025-05-01 22:18 UT (23:38 LT) Auroral activity brightening as sky darkens. Green patchy aurora with violet rays

2025-05-01 22:27 UT (23:27 LT) Aurora continuing with weaker rays

2025-05-01 22:32 UT (23:32 LT) Aurora continuing with weaker rays Moon (23% phase) visible on b/w image at 19° altitude, with light pollution from nearby town in NNW direction.

2025-05-01 22:44 UT (23:44 LT) Patchy green aurora with occasional violet rays

2025-05-01 23:52 UT (00:52 LT) Green aurora arc developing Moon at 10° altitude (24% phase) in NW Sky

2025-05-02 00:19 UT (01:19 LT) Green aurora arc rising to 7° altitude

2025-05-02 00:36 UT (01:36 LT)  Aurora arc up to 8° altitude & brightening.  Curtain starting to develop. Occasional violet ray in NNE-NE sky.  Second arc also evident at around 10° altitude in N-NNE direction

2025-05-02 00:45 UT (01:45 LT) Green aurora curtains starting to move eastwards, with violot/mauve rays

2025-05-02 01:05 UT (02:05 LT) Green aurora arc, curtains & violet rays continuing Moon mask hides aurora in NW sky on b/w all-sky Image. Rays up to 25° altitude

2025-05-02 01:23 UT (02:23 LT) Curtains moving along aurora arc, diffuse violey rays Moon at 1.6° altitude (24% phase) is closing to setting in NNW sky

2025-05-02 01:38 UT (02:38 LT) Well formed curtains with violet / slighty bluish rays in NW to NE sky Moon has now set.   Rays up to 30° altitude

2025-05-02 01:47 UT (02:47 LT) Bright mauve & vilot rays in NW-NNW sky. Curtain in NNE Sky with faint rays.

2025-05-02 01:49 UT (02:49 LT) Extensive set of rays . Mauve/Violet in NW - NNW, becoming blue coloured in N-NNE direction The blue colour is likely due to blue twilight sky colour background. Aurora rays up to 35° altitude present across entire northern sky (WNW to ENE direction)

2025-05-02 02:00 UT (03:00 LT)  Patchy green aurora with violet & bluish coloured rays

2025-05-02 02:32 UT (03:32 LT)  Aurora activity continues in brighting sky. Aurora still visible in NNW direction as dawn is developing in NE sky

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

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 Videos - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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Magnetometer Plots

Magnetometer Plots from Observatory's Geomagnetic Station Note:  X & Y magnetometers were not active during this time period

Sumburgh data (sum) from SAMNet UK/AuroraWatch UK Karmoy data (kar) from Tromsø Geophysical Observatory (TGO), Brorfelde data (bfe) from DTU Space (Technical University of Denmark)

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Magnetometer Stack Plots (for reference)

Magnetometer Stack Plots from Scandinavia (ordered by latitude) H Component - 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10 Activity from 12:00 UT onwards with initial peak in activity at 18:00 to 19:00 UT and then a larger peak in activity at 22:390 to 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_2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10 Not captured

SAMNET's magnetometer at Sumburgh, Shetland  (Chart Explanation)  - Geomagnetic activity on the night 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10 Plot shows elevated activity at 18:00 to 19:00 UT and 22:00 to 01:00 UT with oeak at 00:00 to 01:00 UT

8-day Lerwick Observatory K Index Showing max K5 on the night 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10

Planetary K-Index and other information (Space Weather Prediction Centre) shows maximum Kp4+ during the night 2025-05-09 / 2025-05-10

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Aurora Forecast, NOAA/Ovation (for reference) 

Aurora Forecast for 2025-05-09 22:54 UT (23:54 LT) (From Space Weather Prediction Centre,  http://www.swpc.noaa.gov )

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