OT: Northern Lights Tonight (Fri 5/10)

[ashokan]

I was reading an article about being able to see Northern Lights tonight in NY/NJ and was like "yeah yeah...probably nothingburger as usual". I went outside and looked north and son of gun the NL were visible for two thirds of sky up from horizon. They don't look like the flare-ups in photos. The was a beautiful emerald green tint first third of sky up from horizon and then a transition to violet and purple - almost like tinted smoke but cleaner. Then the big dipper was in the black up above the colors. Def more impressive than the eclipse. We had rain all day but sky was mostly clear tonight.

Looked like this but not as saturated from long exposure

Northern lights could be visible over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut. Map shows where to look skyward.

A rare geomagnetic storm Friday could trigger a northern lights show just outside of the New York City area.

www.cbsnews.com

Best chances to see the northern lights over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut

A rare geomagnetic storm has the potential to make the northern lights visible in the tristate area late Friday night, and possibly through the weekend.

www.nydailynews.com

 

[DJ Spanky]

Not gonna see anything with this cloud cover.

 

[ashokan]

Not gonna see anything with this cloud cover.

I don't know - the colors are closer to the ground than the space above. Any haze might actually help a little. I had more trouble seeing over the trees than between clouds. I had to go look again and it was all still there but beginning to fade. Maybe more tomorrow. Def bucket list type thing - beautiful.

 

[ashokan]

View from Tropy Point at USMA

Some others from NY/CT

 

[rurichdog]

Amazing. Not seeing anything, light pollution most likely, with the new warehouses they built a mile away

 

[RUforester72]

In Port Angeles Wa tonight. Good chance if the fog holds off.

 

[Joey Bags]

If the skies are clear above you and you can’t see it with the naked eye, take a picture with your phone and it could be visible

 

[ashokan]

Amazing. Not seeing anything, light pollution most likely, with the new warehouses they built a mile away

Keep in mind the lights don't quite look in person the way they do in extended exposure night photos. The photos can make things look like a rock concert light show. I read a photog explain his NL photos and he told how photos were more exotic because of longer exposures. Its like those Milky Way photos when seeing with long exposures - we dont quite see the same thing with naked eye. What I saw was more sublime. The colors were clear but I could almost have missed them if not looking for something (trees were in way at first). Once I found the obvious greens I found the violet gradients. It was kinda like wearing glasses with slight dual tints. Cant say I saw anything like it before.

 

[ashokan]

From Mohonk near New Paltz

Newburgh Beacon Bridge

 

[DJ Spanky]

Supposed to be visible tonight too.

 

[LeapinLou]

@ashokan thanks for sharing. Fantastic pix.

 

[Rufaninga]

Heard the Northern lights were potentially visible in North Georgia. Well I was out late last night. Happened to look up in the sky to the north & saw this Green glow! As my eyes lowered closer to the horizon the colors turned a blueish hue. As my eyes descended further I noticed it was the neon from the Stars & Strikes sign. Oh well.

 

[ashokan]

Maybe tonight and Sunday too if weather okish

The northern lights danced across the US last night. It could happen again Saturday.​

MSN

 

[Brisket and Bourbon]

Saw em all the way down here in San Antonio…latitude 29N…naturally no greens…just reds and pinks

 

[ashokan]

Can't see much tonight but FB groups further upstate had the shots.

One woman took a 10 second exposure of sky with her creature in foreground.
Then for comparison she posted a pic as eye would see it without longer exposure.

Some experienced photographers have said the Lights in NY looked more dramatic in NY than in Iceland and I guess maybe because of more pollution (it helps with the sunsets lol)

My fav - a shot of the Ashokan Reservoir in Catskills

 

[Joey Bags]

It’s a guarantee if there is ever a chance of seeing an aurora in NJ it will be raining and cloudy

 

[ashokan]

It’s a guarantee if there is ever a chance of seeing an aurora in NJ it will be raining and cloudy

That's why I almost didn't go out last night - there are always clouds for the sky events it seems.
I just looked again and I have all cloud cover, but I could discern the greenish tint near horizon with faint purple sky above. They say there might be a good chance to see N. Lights again on Sunday

 

[ashokan]

April 6th = earthquake
April 8th = Eclipse
May 11 = Aurora Borealis

I have no idea who these people are but they posted nice pics on FB. Upstate NY between Poughkeepsie and Albany had a good show so far

 

[RUtix4me]

 

[Tango Two]

 

[ashokan]

One more - clip from up by Overlook Mountain trail near Woodstock
Caught shooting stars as well