{"id":146,"date":"2016-03-16T11:31:28","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T11:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/aurorawatchuk\/?p=146"},"modified":"2016-11-14T15:23:31","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T15:23:31","slug":"did-i-photgraph-the-aurora-or-was-it-something-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/aurorawatchuk\/2016\/03\/16\/did-i-photgraph-the-aurora-or-was-it-something-else\/","title":{"rendered":"Did I photograph the aurora or was it something else?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most frequent questions we receive on Facebook is: is this a photo of the aurora? So in this blog post, we’re going to list a few questions that you should ask yourself to help determine if you’ve snapped a photo of the aurora.<\/p>\n

Q1: What does AuroraWatch UK say?<\/h2>\n

Although not perfect<\/a>, our alert levels should give you some indication of whether or not you’ve likely seen an aurora. Living on the south coast of England and AuroraWatch UK says “No significant activity”? Unfortunately, that’s probably not going to be an aurora you’ve photographed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Colour<\/th>\nDescription<\/th>\nMeaning<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Green<\/td>\nNo significant activity<\/td>\nAurora is unlikey to be seen from anywhere in the UK.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yellow<\/td>\nMinor geomagnetic activity<\/td>\nAurora is unlikely to be visible from the UK except perhaps the north of Scotland.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Amber<\/td>\nAmber alert: possible aurora<\/td>\nAurora is likely to be visible from Scotland, northern England and
\nNorthern Ireland. Possibly visible from elsewhere in the UK.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Red<\/td>\nRed alert: aurora likely<\/td>\nIt is likely that aurora will be visible from everywhere in the UK.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Q2: Is it dark?<\/h2>\n

An aurora simply isn’t bright enough to be seen during the day and it is also quite unlikely that an aurora will be visible, at least from the UK, during the hours around dawn and dusk. In fact, the most common time for seeing the aurora, especially from the UK, is during the hours of 9pm-12pm (though you may still see an aurora in the early hours of the morning). Of course, this also depends on the time of year as the long summer evenings may be too bright to see an aurora even at 9pm.<\/p>\n

\"Stunning
\nStunning streaks of light, known as nacreous clouds<\/a>, are not aurora but can be seen in the polar regions during winter. Perlamutra m\u0101ko\u0146i, CC BY-SA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q3: Can you see the stars?<\/h2>\n

As you can see below, an aurora is generally not visible through cloud cover. So if it’s very cloudy, foggy or misty, you’ll probably not be able to see an aurora. Our simple check for this is: can you see the stars? If so, you’re seeing the night sky and clouds are not obstructing your view. If you can’t, then those pesky clouds are getting in the way and you won’t be seeing an aurora.<\/p>\n

\"Copyright
\nIf you’re lucky, you may see an aurora through broken cloud but not through blanket cloud cover. Copyright David Baird<\/a> and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Q4: Are you near sources of light pollution?<\/h2>\n

Especially when it’s cloudy, light pollution<\/a> from the ground can look a lot like an aurora. Light from astroturf pitches and street lamps often reflects off the ground and up into the sky. This can make the clouds appear to glow, often in some form of green, red or orange light – much like an aurora.<\/p>\n

\n

#NorthernLights<\/a> Over Southampton? @aurorawatchuk<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7vUeT5d5W1<\/a><\/p>\n

— Karl Corcoran (@karl_corcoran) March 8, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n