# Finally! Aurora Borealis!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546 "2003-10-30T23:59:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/21 "2003-10-31T06:07:30Z")
I was once told that these lights have a sound and I seem to vaguely remember some show on PBS saying something about these sounds being recorded. Am I just a fruit loop or is there really a sound? I haven’t ever seen the lights and it makes me sad _sigh_. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/22 "2003-10-31T06:08:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cmkeller \* > \*\*I’m in New York City, and I see nothing. Maybe it’s because of the city lights, but I’m able to see the stars, so logically, if the aurora was out there for me to see, I should see it too, right? \*\* I was able to see them late week from downtown Seattle, but I think we’re a little farther north. That was the second time I’d seen them. The first time I was 4. I was terrified, I thought the world had exploded. I know, where was I if I was watching the world explode…_I was 4!_🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/23 "2003-10-31T06:20:33Z")
I’m in North Central MA and we finally have a clear night, but no sign of lights ☹ How long is it supposed to last? (I guess I could go read the links provided, huh?) I’ve always wanted to see them too. We’ve seen some great meteor showers the last few years. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/24 "2003-10-31T06:29:29Z")
I found [this](http://www.milepost.com/feature3.html) about the Northern Lights having a sound. Then I found [this](http://www.npr.org/programs/lnfsound/stories/990326.stories.html), which offers recordings of the Earth’s magnetic field. Many years ago, I had an LP album (yes, THAT many years ago) of electronic music derived from the Earth’s magnetic field – quite eerie, yet oddly alluring. Wonder if it’s still among my ancient record collection? I’ve still got a functioning turntable… Holy guacamole! I just searched the AMG website - [http://www.allmusic.com/](http://www.allmusic.com/) - and found the album! It was released in 1971,\* and you can read about it [here](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=MISS70310310129&sql=A2227gjero6ib). 😉 > [@](#): > > Realized at the Columbia University Computer Center, this piece is built from directly translating a record of the magnetic changes (Kp indices) for planet Earth in 1961— 8 values a day are read from graphic charts that look so much like music they are popularly known as Julius Bartel’s “musical diagrams”. An interesting experiment :: Strolls off to check out whereabouts of ancient LP :: \*Damn, I really am dating myself, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/25 "2003-10-31T06:30:26Z")
Tokyo is unfortunately clouded over, although I doubt we’d see much because of light pollution. Some people have suggested taking the Shinkensen out to Fuji-san tomorrow night. I’m taking my digital camera if we do! ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/26 "2003-10-31T06:31:51Z")
**Salem** , that last solar flare was one of the bigger ones in the last bunch of years! They should last all night, I would think. As long as it is dark… **SanguineSpider** , I read this week… (one of Cecil’s columns?) that it was a myth that there were sounds associated with them. Still an unproven myth but unlikely… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/27 "2003-10-31T08:48:35Z")
**roadkiller** - Yessir, you should be able to see the Northern Lights from your locale. What part of Kansas, BTW? I was born and raised in Great Bend. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/28 "2003-10-31T10:39:49Z")
Here’s the latest from Spaceweather: > [@](#): > > An ongoing geomagnetic storm, which began at 1700 UT on Oct. 30th when a coronal mass ejection (CME) swept past Earth, is subsiding. Mid-latitude auroras have mostly faded. High-latitude auroras, however, could persist until local sunrise on Oct. 31st. Happy Halloween! So it looks like show’s over for us Western Hemisphere types who aren’t in Alaska, Canada, or the northern tier of the Lower 48. But you high-latitude types might want to step outside one more time if you get up before dawn. Spaceweather’s [photo gallery](http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/gallery_01oct03_page3.html) of the last few days’ auroras starts with the linked page, and works forward from there. There are some great pix from places like Oklahoma and South Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/29 "2003-10-31T15:00:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EddyTeddyFreddy \* > \*\*I saw them! Kinda. > > There’s enough light pollution, even out here in Exurbia, Massachusetts, that only a few stars are visible where I live. I had to go out onto a nearby school’s playing field to get away from streetlights as much as possible, but did get to see a couple of eerily ghostly white fingers stretching from the northern horizon up overhead into infinity. No colors, alas, but I’ll settle for what I got. 🙂 \*\* Maybe you weren’t out at the right time, ETF. I’m just a bit north of you, and at 6:45, the northern lights went absolutely nuts. It started with a red glow in the sky at around 6:10, and by 6:45 there was a bright red arc across the sky with white rays originating from the zenith and fainter green bands all along the northern horizon. I got some nice pictures, but I would have needed a fisheye to really capture it, because the whole northern hemisphere of the sky was involved. The show, as far as I know, was pretty much over by 8:00. Best. Aurora. Ever. Mebbe if I get ambitious, I’ll post some pictures later today. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/30 "2003-10-31T15:17:40Z")
I saw the aurora last night, although it was not as polychromatic from my vantage point as it was for others. It was a large, red glow, but there was no shimmering and nor green or white rays. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/31 "2003-10-31T15:35:16Z")
Unfortunately, it was still twilight here (OKC, OK) when the OP posted, so we saw nothing of that outburst. The later outbursts either didn’t make it here or were washed out by skyglow. I’ve seen it before, both here and far Northern US, so I’m not quite suicidal about missing this one. I went out very hour until bedtime, then got up every two hours to look, then it started getting overcast before the dawn viewing times. I did see about a dozen meteors, which is fairly uncommon for city skyglow, including one really bright one from the ENE before it got too cloudy. Anyone West of here see the Aurora? ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/32 "2003-10-31T15:44:34Z")
I live in Arizona and we had cloud cover for most of the night. _big sigh_ Guess I will have to travel to see the aurora… (pout). ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/33 "2003-10-31T15:55:35Z")
Thanks \*\* EddyTeddyFreddy\*\*! That was cool! I agree, it’s a lil’ eerie but very neat. Check it out folks! ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/34 "2003-10-31T15:59:47Z")
I didn’t even go out to look. Some of you may not know that the “of The North” is because I lived in Canada’s Northwest Territories for some time. I was privy to some of the most wondrous light shows in creation. I was afraid that if I went to see the aurora here, I would just be disappointed and homesick. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/35 "2003-10-31T20:21:54Z")
Ah, **Finagle** , you lucky dog, you! At 6:45 I was working in Boston. At a little after 7:00 I was walking from downtown to North Station, but the city light pollution drowned out anything else in the sky. I wasn’t able to go out and look until almost midnight, alas. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/36 "2003-10-31T21:42:19Z")
**radar ralf** , I hail from the great location that is Southeast Kansas. I’m a good 4 1/2 hours from Great Bend. Unfortunately, it was compleyely overcast last night, so I had no chance of seeing any lights. Hopefully tongiht it will clear up a bit and I can catch the end of the show. **RTFirefly** , thanks for that link! I was amazed at how far south some of those pictures were taken. They’re beautiful! ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/37 "2003-10-31T22:11:52Z")
Crappy cloudy October weather! Who needs another overcast rainy Halloween anyway? I WANNA SEE AURORA! (and I don’t mean the town) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/38 "2003-10-31T23:08:15Z")
I’ll check for it in Providence, RI, but I have a feeling there’s too much light pollution to see anything. Who knows, it might be cloudy. I’m sort of out of touch with the weather. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/39 "2003-11-01T01:47:25Z")
Here are the pictures I promised. Doesn’t really do justice to the magnitude of the display – the whole northern half of the sky was involved at one point. [http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4288716003](http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4288716003) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546/40 "2003-11-03T21:54:59Z")
For those of you who missed last week’s show, the sun unleashed a few more high intensity flares yesterday. Not quite as intense and maybe only glancingly Earth-directed, but there’s still a chance for some mid-latitude auroral displays. [http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solar\_flares\_031103.html](http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solar_flares_031103.html) The most likely time of any activity is midnight, plus or minus a few hours Eastern time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-aurora-borealis/210546.md?page=3)