I’m in north central Iowa, and we were treated to a very nice auroral display Saturday morning at about 4 a.m. CDT.
Hubby and I were watching for the Perseids, but the northern lights totally eclipsed the meteors.
Veils of white, shifting and pulsating and chasing each other across the sky, folks in Missouri and even farther south must have been able to see it. It was almost like cloud lightning. Beautiful.
It lasted for at least an hour, covering the entire northern horizon, over our heads, and extending back south. Awesome.
This just in:
Space Weather News for August 12, 2000
http://www.spaceweather.com
Last night, during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a shock wave from the Sun set off a beautiful display of aurora borealis. Observers in dark-sky areas across Canada and much of the United States were treated to the unusual spectacle of meteors seen against a backdrop of colorful Northern Lights. Auroras were spotted as far south as Los Angeles, CA.
Conditions remain favorable for more aurora borealis Saturday night and Sunday morning. Plus, the Perseid meteor shower is not entirely over. Stargazers could see as many as 25 meteors per hour before dawn on Sunday, Aug. 13.
(Bolding mine.)
Hey, no fair having aurorae when my skies are filled with smoke! Wait 'till after the fires next time, ok?
I saw nothing in San Jose, despite a clear nite. Perhaps too much ambient lite.