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ChorlyChaplin t1_jaifjus wrote

That’s amazing! It looks like someone hit the sky with a neon paintbrush. I hope I get to experience this in person someday.

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Macemore t1_jaj4hdn wrote

Jealous you got orange/red!!!! I'm up near Kotzebue for 5 months every year and only get green!

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Piqquin t1_jaj4jfb wrote

Sunday night was the best. The show started early (8:30 p.m. in Juneau!) so more people than usual were able to enjoy them. I even saw pictures from northern Wyoming. It was a fantastic night.

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awesommazing OP t1_jaj8s6w wrote

Replying to Piqquin (#2,140,022)

Thats amazing! I used to be in Juneau and only saw faint green hues. Im happy you guys also had a solid night! I saw Peltola posting about it. This was taken around 9:30pm, we started driving down Seward Hwy at 8pm lol

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akcoder t1_jaj90pe wrote

Replying to awesommazing (#2,140,127)

Eagle River. With just the very top of the mountain in the background I thought it might have been at Baldy. But now that you mention the Seward hwy, I can totally picture the mtns in the mchugh creek/Indian area as the backdrop.

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pileodung t1_jaj9lz2 wrote

What makes the color so different here? Do the colors stay the same in places that can see the lights?

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deadzip10 t1_jaj9m4w wrote

Off the wall question I’ve wondered about for some time: can you get this to show up in just a regular picture or do you need specific equipment? For instance, could I use my phone camera to capture this or would I need something more specialized?

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ImTrappedInAComputer t1_jajhisd wrote

I was recently in Norway and saw the northern lights two nights in a row but I definitely don't think it was a strong night. The colors showed up well in cameras doing a long exposure, but it absolutely wasn't bright enough to see colors with your eyes. It just could've been a gray cloud.

How visible were the colors to the eyes?

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416warlok t1_jajo4nw wrote

Replying to ImTrappedInAComputer (#2,140,507)

So I'm just some pleb who has never seen the northern lights... I do think though, that if I were to see them, they would never look as bright and as colourful as basically every photo seems to portray them. I could be wrong, but I'd be very surprised if they looked like this photo with the naked eye.

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WildCurlyBaby t1_jajxmei wrote

What a privilege to see the northern lights!!! So beautiful

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Jakeattack77 t1_jak196q wrote

So breathtaking! Could you see any glimpses of color with your eyes?

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bartsteed t1_jak2pmb wrote

My God. I must see these IRL someday, before I die.

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TheValxyrie t1_jak5ody wrote

Replying to 416warlok (#2,140,743)

If you're able, take a trip to Northern Norway between October and March, and unless you're very unlucky, you'll be in for a big surprise!

Source: I launch rockets into the northern lights so that scientists can study them.

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philmo69 t1_jak6frq wrote

I really need to get up to Alaska for northern lights...

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awesommazing OP t1_jakdr46 wrote

Replying to ImTrappedInAComputer (#2,140,507)

Ive been taking photos of Northern lights lots of times with my iphone and i understand what you mean. I had to take photos to be able to clearly find them. That night was different. I thought it was a myth how they dance and very vivid, but that night i felt like my phone didnt do justice on how vivid they were.

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awesommazing OP t1_jakefu1 wrote

Replying to 416warlok (#2,140,743)

I said the same thing too! Ive been taking photos of them for a while and I thought them dancing and being very vivid is a myth. I also heard from alot of long time northern locals that that sunday night northern lights was just especially strong. The colors were really vivid. It was so strong it was reported to be seen all the way down to Colorado

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ScribblesandPuke t1_jakfz8u wrote

I was reading recently about Tom Thomson the Canadian painter, who painted the Northern Lights a few times. Then on Sunday there was a nature show on TV showing images of them from the Yukon. I was thinking it must be amazing so see them and literally thinking about the lights all weekend.

Then I see a story saying they were visible from Ireland, there are pictures from Sligo which is nearby to where I live. I was outside at night but didn't notice anything. And the articles say, as has been noted here, that they were seen better on photos than with the named eye.

I don't get this? Whenever I take photos at night the photos generally pick up LESS of the various atmospheric effects in the sky than what my naked eye sees. Also, how do people know to take photos if the phenomenon if you can't see it with the naked eye?

The artist I was reading about always worked from life in the wilderness so I'm guessing you can see it. I'm so annoyed, it was like the universe was giving me signs about it and I was supposed to see it but I missed it.

Be handy if they could tell us ahead of time when it's going to happen. After the other night a bunch of websites showing the photos said it could happen again the next night but it was cloudy, as it almost always is in February in Ireland.

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Interloper9000 t1_jaklkq1 wrote

These were rare when I was there 20 years ago. Are they more common now?

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MyCatsNameIsKlaus t1_jakm3an wrote

OP, what did they look like to the naked for you?

I was a little underwhelmed when I saw them in the Norway but once I saw the pictures I took I was blown away by the spectrum of lights my camera caught compared to my eyes.

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hdniki t1_jakq6ez wrote

One of my favorite memories is being at flattop and laying down in the snow, looking up at the Aurora right above me

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MyIpadSuck t1_jakwov3 wrote

Can't describe how much I want to see the Northern Lights. I spent 10 days in Alaska with overcast every night. Saw nothing. Some day.

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Refugee_Savior t1_jakxggc wrote

Man I left anchorage to go home back down in the lower 48 Sunday morning. Now I wish I missed my flight.

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Norse_By_North_West t1_jal8km7 wrote

Replying to reddog323 (#2,140,400)

I'd like to add that the colours are kinda like neon lights, different molecules will give different colours. Upper atmosphere isn't uniform across the globe, so northern areas tend to get different colours than southern. That said, energetic particles come into the atmosphere further, so when that happens in the north, you can get all the colours

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Piqquin t1_jalbho5 wrote

Replying to Norse_By_North_West (#2,142,998)

Sunday was the best. The Monday before last was pretty spectacular as well. I heard from some friends in Fairbanks that there were some decent lights last night, but like you, we got hit with snow- so cloud cover prevented any show.

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No-Spoilers t1_jalcxr8 wrote

I always get so sad seeing these pictures.

I want to experience this so badly.

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Frame_Farmer t1_jalutln wrote

Replying to akcoder (#2,140,197)

arrived in Alaska for first time Sunday afternoon and was at Baldy Sunday night and the deep red was nestled between waves of this pink and green was visible to the naked eye and every bit as rich as this picture shows. I was unaware these deep hues and/or this intensity were even available to the naked eye but the activity on Sunday evening was...🥲. Thanks for this!

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Imaginary-Chemist209 t1_jam71ms wrote

I lived in Alaska for four years while I was stationed there while in the Army. I was fortunate enough to see something like this a few times and it was truly breathtaking.

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Express_Basis_8038 t1_jam8ip0 wrote

Did you know.... Earth's Aurora is mainly green due to a high concentration of oxygen in the lower atmosphere. You can observe the presence of different atmospheric gas by studying a planets Aurora, if vissible. If you find earths northern lights fastening then check out Jupiters northern, southern lights! They seem to be never ending!

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akcoder t1_jamkakt wrote

Replying to Frame_Farmer (#2,143,656)

Normally it’s mainly greens that you’ll see. During times of higher geomagnetic activity is when the reds come out. I’m glad you enjoyed the show!

Hatchers pass is where a lot of people go to see/take pictures of the aurora. The light pollution there is minimal.

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tom_the_red t1_jan92gn wrote

Replying to Express_Basis_8038 (#2,144,114)

They are powered by the rotational momentum of Jupiter and the gravitational squeezing of the moon Io. If both survive the end of the Sun, the aurora of Jupiter might be one of the brightest things left to shine in the solar system

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VocidyWasTaken t1_janmet1 wrote

Wow! Living here in Alaska is so amazing. It is beyond beautiful here. 😍

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Admirable-War-1021 t1_jaojosc wrote

What a blessing. Is this the right time of the year to be in Anchorage for this?

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