Chance of Northern Lights over Scotland and Northern England

i'm heading out around 9pm to see if i can get a shot or 2….weather forecast looks favourable…fingers crossed
 
Just been reading about this on a local forum here in Northern Ireland. There is supposed to be a chance of seeing them here too. Anyone know what times etc?
 
the sky is clearing here.. it is the light pollution that is going to be a problem for me
 
Just been on this website http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/photo_sites

Am thinking of a drive up to Lancaster at around midnight..

Wifey would love to just look.. I wanna take pics.. but it secondry.. I ahvent got a clue.. any tips?

canon 1dx FF camera.. 35mm f2 or 17-40 f4 or 50 1.4 ... am thinking 35mm f2 on ff..

but is it along shutter? and if so why.. My brain (which has never been ultra reliable) tells me that f i can see soemhting then i can click and take a picture...
 
KIPAX said:
Just been on this website http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/photo_sites

Am thinking of a drive up to Lancaster at around midnight..

Wifey would love to just look.. I wanna take pics.. but it secondry.. I ahvent got a clue.. any tips?

canon 1dx FF camera.. 35mm f2 or 17-40 f4 or 50 1.4 ... am thinking 35mm f2 on ff..

but is it along shutter? and if so why.. My brain (which has never been ultra reliable) tells me that f i can see soemhting then i can click and take a picture...
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Personally I'd say 17-40, since lets face it the 1DX will come well enough with higher ISO so you don't have to have as larger aperture as f/2 etc so 17mm will give you a much wider FoV :thumbs:

This is compiled from a post I made a week or so ago:

First caveat, I've not actually photographed it yet...but there are two routes you can go down, a long exposure on a lower ISO this will result in you picking up the glow of the AB as it moves around the sky however you'll loose a lot of the definition and shapes of the AB

Alternatively you can shoot with a large aperture and a high ISO to make the exposure as short as possible and keep the shapes of the AB in the sky, personally I'd be shooting a mixture of the two styles however speaking in general terms I normally prefer the high ISO short exposures as the shape of the AB is spectacular...
 
I ahve never done long exposure before so I think I will stick wiht the short.. I should get soemhting.. depends how long I ahve.. might try long if got loads of time ..... thanks for the reply :)
 
It also depends whether the NL is moving or not. If it is dancing around then you will need a faster shutter. But generally from what I read, it is better to keep them within 30 seconds to get the stars sharp enough.
 
Watching the BBC's astronomy thing last night, they suggested ISO 800 or so, wide open and 15s as a starting point. Unfortunately, I don't think the AB will be visible this far South and it's bleeding cold out there!
 
mikdnight to 3am is peak i believe.. going out at midnight...
 
gumbo-67 said:
Anyone seen anything Yet???
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By all accounts the best time is after midnight at least that is what I've read though of course if anyone has alternate details I'm all ears :thumbs:
 
I'm not near the PC at the mo but I've done several trips to Iceland in the past, the AB doesn't move as fast as you think, it's slightly slower than a typical cloud formation and stays in the same area unlike how a cloud moves. High ISO is good but ONLY if your SLR has good ISO handling, if you manage to see the pinks in the AB then your ISO May mess this about and add more noise, the 1DX will be the best performer in the situation, 17-40 will be perfect and don't worry about a narrow aperture as you'll have time plus you'll have a slightly sharper image, live view helped me quite a bit for focus which was near on infinity anyway. Other than that, a sturdy tripod, warm clothing and don't forget to enjoy it. Exposure times can be anything you wish, even on a short shut you'll still pick up the detail, what you mainly want to do is capture some of the blacks so the AB is more defined and not lost in the light pollution ;)
 
Cheers for that Dave....as I say picture is secondry.. something decent for websize will do.. not after a walll poster :) Wifey wants to see it so thats the main thing ..fingers crossed...
Oh and not got a tripod..presuming this isnt a straight up at sky.. more of a looking north then maybe my mini tripod on top of car..or a wall.. will play that by ear..
 
Been monitoring this. Planetary K index is less than 3... geo-magnetic is quiet and the real time auroral oval according to the NOAA satellite is only extending down the 70th parallel. Just because there was a large CME means nothing... the polarity of that CME will also determine where there is a more than normal auroral display. Plus... the CME that left yesterday evening actually arrived here at juts past midnight last night. Been and gone.
 
KIPAX said:
Cheers for that Dave....as I say picture is secondry.. something decent for websize will do.. not after a walll poster :) Wifey wants to see it so thats the main thing ..fingers crossed...
Oh and not got a tripod..presuming this isnt a straight up at sky.. more of a looking north then maybe my mini tripod on top of car..or a wall.. will play that by ear..
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A mini tripod or wall should do you fine :thumbs: Tripod is of course the ideal but I've done plenty of long exposures of up to several minutes without one so long as you wedge the camera in a good spot :thumbs:

Best advice I can give is actually wrap up warm and take a flask of something warm...the late nighters get damn cold at this time of year
 
MWHCVT said:
Best advice I can give is actually wrap up warm and take a flask of something warm...the late nighters get damn cold at this time of year
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Oh I ahve that sorted..too right ta:)
 
I am keeping a sharp eye on it too, got some friends who have traveled to Bamburgh Castle this afternoon in hope, just had the latest report, nothing yet...but solar winds have increased...these guys dont travel for nothing, so fingers crossed for them
 
Dave, according to the 'experts', the cme is still on its way and will be touching from midnight - 4am as it was slower than usual and is giving them a great deal of annoyance tracking it, so we may still get some results. Remember that on a scale like this nothing is predictable considering they only have a 40 minute window to confirm if it arrives and will irritate the earth so to speak.
 
Yes it's time of arrival was mis-calculated, the strongest flow from the CME is due around that time, the intensity of the stream is still unknown, readings show so far that when it left the sun, it was classed as an X-flare, however, how far it will reach down the country is still unpredictable to say the least. If you are Scotland or just south the chances are very high, however we have been here before....if you have a clear sky it would be worth checking just in case
 
I'm in Jokulsarlom (South Iceland) at the moment - we had a nice aurora last night over the glacier lagoon but tonight is total cloud cover, very windy and rain predicted for later on - very frustrating to say the least ,!
James
 
ok who is the furthest north???? as i would think they would see it first and then could pass it on???
 
Best camera settings for this, are tripod facing north, find polaris by following the last star of URSA MAJOR, ISO 800, F5 or below if you can, remote shutter release, then happily snap away, doing sets of around 20-30 seconds in bulb mode, if you have any light pollution near where your shooting then change the balance to tungsten, it helps.
 
Makes sense Terri, if we could do the old beacon technique! Unfortunately I'm in Salisbury so I have no chance!
 
cloud coming over here it best do one but if and when I see anything i will tell you all.. but is there anyone further north with a chance of seeing it before me?
 
gumbo-67 said:
cloud coming over here it best do one but if and when I see anything i will tell you all.. but is there anyone further north with a chance of seeing it before me?
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Think you may be to far west, by the look of the sat image, you have some cloud coming in, my friend is in the east so am waiting for him to tell me whats happening
 
Marcus I am in the North east of Scotland ?? an i not gonna get a chance??
 
I hope you do, there is a slim chance you will see it, but the cloud is coming your way, at the moment as it stands northumberland looks ok for a while, but the clearest patch for a few hours is straight down the middle of England, but as said, not sure how far down it will reach
 
i'll keep looking thank you yes the cloud has just hit but i see a bit of clear coming too.. just my blooming luck
 
No Problem, will keep you posted, up for a while to see what happens
 
not loking good according to this:(
https://BANNED/auroraserviceeu


Aurora Service (EU) ‏@auroraserviceeu
If your thinking it looks weak, you'd be right. Unless something drastic happens, we just can't see any geomagnetic storms from this event.
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Well on the off chance of something the camera is set up on the patio acclimatising...I'll shoot from for about 3/4 hours from just before midnight on the off chance...you never know
 
I've had no luck talking my sis into coming out anywhere dark with me if it kicks off. I'm too paranoid (or sensible being a short girly!) to be standing about in the dark by myself with a load of camera kit. I need to make some friends I can bribe into coming out with me lol.

If anyone gets photos I'll look forward to seeing them (with extreme jealousy).
 
GeordieLass said:
I've had no luck talking my sis into coming out anywhere dark with me if it kicks off. I'm too paranoid (or sensible being a short girly!) to be standing about in the dark by myself with a load of camera kit. I need to make some friends I can bribe into coming out with me lol.

If anyone gets photos I'll look forward to seeing them (with extreme jealousy).
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Well that is a shame, if I were closer you'd be welcome out shooting any evening with me but allas it's a little far right now :( always better to be out with someone, not really for the safety aspect thought that is always a plus, but more for the company, I find star trails all ways go so much faster if I've someone to chat with :thumbs:
 
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