(To convert the EST timestamp on these emails to GMT, add 5 hours - Webmaster) From: TerryMoselaol.com Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 14:03:33 EST Subject: Aurora Now! Hi all, There's a nice aurora developing; reported by Ron Fails, Belfast, & I have just confirmed a nice arc with green shimmering curtains, moderately high up from Glengormley. Could be a good night! Terry Moseley
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 14:41:36 EST Subject: Aurora Update! HI all, This is an odd one! There were some very bright green rays coming up into the Plough about 19.15, but they have now gone & instead there's a green glow over a large area of the sky overhead, and a bright broad ray in the West! Also some fainter rays in the NE. Should be worth watching for quite a while.... I will be doing an interview on Radio Ulster about 07.20 Thursday morning about it. Clear Skies, Terry Moseley
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 15:10:13 EST Subject: Aurora Update 2 Hi again, This is one best observed from a fairly dark sky! At times there is very little structure, but most of the N half of the sky is lit by a diffuse greenish glow, almost like summer twilight, with only vague broad diffuse brighter patches within it. The bright rays seen earlier are not visible now, but could come back at any time. So if you have some light pollution, and can only see a general brightening of the sky, don't assume it's just clouds reflecting streetlights! . No reds or pinks seen yet - maybe it's an omen for the new Tory leader whoever s/he may be! Thanks to all of you reporting back - no time to respond to you all individually. Keep watching, and let me know what you see. Thanks, Terry
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 15:40:17 EST Subject: Aurora update 3 Hi all, This is the oddest aurora I have even seen! Quite bright but very little structure, yet it covers the whole Northern 2/3 of the sky! It's a diffuse greenish glow, locally brighter, with the occasional bright moving patch. But the night is still young.... And I have had reports from as far South as Chull in West Cork, so it's obvoously visible all over Ireland, where it is clear. Lots of reports now coming in - thanks again to all! Good luck & clear skies to all, Terry
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 16:26:33 EST Subject: Aurora update 4 Hi all, Still a very bright auroral sky! There are now some bright rays up through The Plough, and some through Auriga, but the overall impression is still of a very general bright greenish-blue glow, almost like a mixture of bright moonlight and the deep blue glow of late twilight. And it extends at least over the whole Northern half of the sky, and sometimes well past the zenith, from here. Apologies for the typo in the last email - 'Chull' should of course have been 'Schull'! Still more reports coming in - thanks to all! If you haven't had a look at the Sun recently, do so tomorrow, but ONLY if you know how to do it safely, and see what has caused all this activity! Keep looking up! Terry Moseley
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 17:14:44 EST Subject: Aurora update 5 - WOW! Hi all, It hasn't gone away you know! Long bright arc about 30-40 degrees up, bright rays in NE & NW up to zenith almost forming a corona, right now. Best activity for quite a while! Don't gstop observing yet! Terry
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 18:19:38 EST Subject: Aurora Update 6 - Reds & Curtains Hi all, After another quiet period, I've now seen definite reds, particularly in the NE, And there's a lovely arc of curtains at 23.05-10. Proabably the third or fourth best aurora I've ever seen! So still worth watching! Thanks for all the reports - too many to reply to. Terry
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 19:10:20 EST Subject: Aurora Update 6: Johnny Walker, Corona Now! Hi all, Earlier this evening I was going to describe this as a very 'feminine' aurora ("Horses sweat, men perspire, but ladies gently glow"), as for most of the time the activity was fairly quiescent - just a bright glow over about half the sky. But I've just seen some really bright broad rays in the NE, and in the WSW (!), and there's now more 'activity' in terms of structure and changes, than for long periods earlier. So I'm now categorizing it as a 'Johnny Walker' - still going stromg after about 6 hours! Younger readers won't know that ad, so you'll wonder what I'm on about! Some observers from dark sites reported reds before I could see them in bright Glengormley, but overall there was a predominance of greens rather than reds or pinks. I did see Saturn shrouded in a nice pink glow for a while, but that was rare. Wow, there's rays to the zenith & a fantastic corona now (00.05) Look! Terry
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 19:57:13 EST Subject: Aurora update 7 - RAPID FLAMING, PINK RAYS Hi all, Awesome! There's now rapid 'flaming' & flaring particularly from West up to Zenith, and pink rays, still very active! Why do I have to go to work tomorrow? Keep looking! Terry
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 20:44:02 EST Subject: Aurora Update 7: Still active! Hi all, Forget about Johnny Walker - this is atmospheric Viag*a! There are still beautiful arcs, bands, rays & curtains in the North as I write at 01.35, but as I have do do a radio interview on Radio Ulster at 07.40, this is the last email for tonight, unless the sky actually goes on fire before I turn in! Well, I think that was the second best aurora I ever saw, bearing in mind the duration, and the really rapid flaring, flaming and flickering after midnight. But I never saw any really strong reds! I wonder why? Thanks to all of you who have sent in reports - all will be acknowledged and/or reported eventually, but for the last few hours I haven't even been able to read them, let alone reply to them! Hope it stays clear for you if you're still up, & look out tomorrow (today!) evening, as soon as it gets dark - you never know! Hope you enjoyed the show - beats fireworks, doesn't it? Goodnight all, Terry
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