# Northern Lights **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596 "2004-11-08T05:04:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/21 "2004-11-08T15:13:25Z")
And another rain out here in New England. Oh well, maybe tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Wallflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Wallflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallflower)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/22 "2004-11-08T15:49:21Z")
Gorgeous sky last night, undulating sheets, etc., mostly green. Plus a few bonus Leonids streaking through. that was so cool! ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/23 "2004-11-08T16:58:24Z")
Why is Toronto always so damn cloudy?!?! :mad: ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/24 "2004-11-08T17:25:25Z")
I merged the two threads, **Squink**. Since **justwannano** started his first . . . I used his thread title. **Cajun Man** for the SDMB ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/25 "2004-11-08T18:44:41Z")
> [@Cajun Man](#): > > I merged the two threads, **Squink**. OK, you were just so _quick_ about it that it surprised me. ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/26 "2004-11-09T15:39:14Z")
> [@justwannano](#): > > Quite a display tonight From where? I’m in the Quad Cities on the Iowa side and drove pretty far out away from the city last night to try to see them. Didn’t see a darn thing. It wasn’t a wasted trip, cause I grew up outside of the city and got to sit and stare at the stars for hours. Those were bright and beautiful. I went out about 9:00 or 10ish and stayed out till about 2am. And before anyone asks, yeah, I was wearing my glasses. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/27 "2004-11-09T15:48:47Z")
Yeah cricket I stayed up last night til midnight and saw nothing. Night before last it was awesome. But I heard that there is another flare headed this way. check it out tonight. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/28 "2004-11-09T18:50:03Z")
I’m starting to recieve interferance from the sun on my C band satellite dish. Normally it doesn’t show up for another hour or so. I think that means sunspots. Check out this site.{[http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/dst\_index/page1.html](http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/dst_index/page1.html)}Its a measurement of space noise. the last time I looked, last night, it was not into the yellow area. Sorry I didn’t think of looking night before last. ---
**Author:** ![smartini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@smartini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smartini)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/29 "2004-11-09T19:21:52Z")
How far south do you think they might be visible? It’s a clear, gorgeous day here in Atlanta. Would love to see some of what you guys are seeing. Guess that won’t happen here though, huh? Thanks for posting that pic, **GingerOfTheNorth** , it was beautiful. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/30 "2004-11-09T19:41:42Z")
I drove out into the desert last night, around 8pm or so. Didn’t really see anything, got back into the car (it was pretty damned chilly!), and started heading home… and then I realized that what I thought was clouds reflecting groundlight, well, wasn’t. It was very faint, but definitely there. It pulsed quite a bit, and I could see two streamers. I wish it had been better, but I finally got to see it. Wow. Something that big shouldn’t move that fast. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/31 "2004-11-09T20:23:18Z")
They saw it in South carolina. As I write the Geo-magnetic storm level is pegged. This is probably the strongest right now. Im going to check it out right after sundown. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/32 "2004-11-10T00:43:09Z")
Kp is currently at 7, which is the limit for seeing it here in Chicago. [http://www.sec.noaa.gov/today2.html](http://www.sec.noaa.gov/today2.html) But Bz is positive, which normally means no aurora. [http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ace/MAG\_6h.html](http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ace/MAG_6h.html) Maybe this CME was so big it has effects anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Mooney252](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mooney252](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooney252)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/33 "2004-11-10T04:45:54Z")
Hey, thanks for the post, I learned something Rowrrbazzle. But I’ll guarantee you that if you get more than 10 miles offshore on Lake Michigan you’ll see the Northern Lights routinely. You’re away from the light pollution of the city and they’re stunning out there, even in the summer time. What’s astounding is the variation in form and design. Most of us are familiar with the “curtains” of light. Red is the rarest of colors. But sometimes the sky will just glow green, like a flourescent light. Sometimes rays of light come across the horizon, like the rays coming off the crown of the Statue of Liberty. Sometimes they’ll pulse, like the “rabbit” lights that run down an instrument approach into an airport. Yet, I’d come back from sailing off Waukegan and people would tell me that I was crazy. “You can’t see the Northern Lights this far south,” I’d constantly hear from those blinded-by-the-light. Best regards, Mooney252 ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/34 "2004-11-10T13:58:47Z")
Has anyone seen these in the UK? Is it too far south or is there another reason that we don’t get to see it (apart from in the very north of Scotland)? ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/35 "2004-11-10T16:36:57Z")
The Geomagnetic meter I mentioned above said that the storm wouldn’t reach earth until 6am. Sure enough. I saw nothing at midnight but 5am was really active. It was a little disapointing after monday night but still neat.Not near as powerful and there were clouds on the horizon but still a lot of movement. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/36 "2004-11-10T16:39:10Z")
Well I guess it was sunday night. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/37 "2004-11-10T17:38:52Z")
I was out several times Sunday evening and early Monday morning, and then again late last night and early this morning, all to no avail. And the Sunday night auroras were seen as far south as the Carolinas. Ah well - at least I saw them here in MD last fall. > [@+MDI](#): > > Has anyone seen these in the UK? Is it too far south or is there another reason that we don’t get to see it (apart from in the very north of Scotland)? Dunno. Might proximity to the magnetic pole make a difference? As I recall, the north magnetic pole these days is roughly 8 degrees south of the rotational pole, in the approximate direction of the Yukon Territory. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/38 "2004-11-10T18:04:35Z")
I was wondering about seeing them from the UK too… I live at latitude 51deg 20min north - further north than Calgary, say, or the southern end of Lake Winnipeg, but I have never seen the aurora. And yet people in Ohio etc are getting a nice display. It’s not fair! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/39 "2004-11-11T00:19:20Z")
**Mooney252** , that’s very interesting. I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life and have never heard that. Of course, I’ve only known one or two people in my life who owned boats, and they weren’t ones that could go that far out in the lake. ---
**Author:** ![Mooney252](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mooney252](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooney252)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596/40 "2004-11-11T03:27:05Z")
Rowrr – I lived in Chicago for 20 years but don’t any more. It’s a wonderful multi-cultural city – easily the most-livable of the 3 major U.S. cities. But it’s a long way from “nature” and the north woods. Except for Lake Michigan. It’s a natural wonder – and at your back door. “Oh, but you’ll get run over by lake freighters.” No – there was actually more boat traffic on the lake in 1890 than today. Even with pleasure boats. Beg a ride aboard a sailboat out onto the lake. Okay – wait until June and get involved in a sailing club or something. Other alternatives: rent a boat (maybe a bad option since it appears you know zilch about sailing). Buy a used 30’ Catalina and learn to sail. That lake is EMPTY and a real phenomenon at the same time. One day I went up to Waukegan: it was June with a humid air layer over the cold lake water. I look out to the south and there are two people **walking on water.** It wasn’t a double-take – it was at least a triple-take. What was going on? Stable air; cold water; warm moist air going out over the lake; low layer of fog – only 5’ high. People on the deck of a boat appeared to be walking on the surface of the water, with no boat apparent underneath. Oh, and I’ll be glad to come along and teach you to sail!! Best regards, Mooney252 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northern-lights/273596.md?page=3)