October 11, 2024

The Aurora Shows Itself!

Even with pesky clouds, a colorful aurora was apparent over Washington State last night.

Here is the view from north Kitsap County from the wonderful Skunk Bay weather website run by Greg Johnson (click on the arrow to watch an impressive animation).


I went to the kite hill at Magnuson Park in Seattle and my camera picked up some of the aurora action (see below).


What is so frustrating was how much better the smartphone camera was at picking up the colors compared to the human eye.  And the clouds were a significant detractor as well.

The key index, Kp, has dropped substantially today (see below), so I am not optimistic about tonight.  Plus, there are lots of clouds.



3 comments:

  1. "phone cameras": Folks near me had iPhones that showed colors better than eyesight. Someone will (soon, I hope) explain this regarding the receptors in our eyes and the sensors in the cameras. I was near Quincy in central WA, only saw wavering greenish patches. However, I was not impressed with the camera results either -- compared to a few previous times.

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    Replies
    1. It is because human eye receptors are more sensitive to certain wavelengths, peaking in the green range. Camera sensors don't have that restriction.

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  2. That was just amazing last night! The sky was flashing and the reds and purples were so brilliant here near Arlington

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