There was a nice aurora showing when I went out to my local area, with a green rayed arc vivid to the eye in the north at around 45 degrees. On the camera, some purple tops were visible on the rays (Image 1). Over the next 30 minutes, the arc moved steadily southwards (i.e. grew higher in the sky, although still all in a northerly direction) although its structure and overall appearance stayed much the same (Image 2). By 22:55 the band of aurora was expanding (highest arc at around 85 degrees) to form three distinctly separate rayed arcs (Image 3). The intensity increased from 23:02 when the auroral band moved overhead and purple ray tops were visible with the naked eye (Image 4).
From 23:13 to 23:29 the main activity shifted northwards again, with some nice defined vivid green arcs forming to around 50 to 60 degrees height (Image 5). A burst of activity occurred in the northern sky from 23:29, with some actively-moving curtains of rays and a pink lower fringe on the camera at its strongest point (Image 6). This burst eventually decreased in intensity but expanded in area to cover much of the northern sky (Image 7).
A new strong band appeared relatively low in the north from 23:48 (Image 8), gradually shifting southwards from 00:05 (Image 9) and coming overhead from 00:13 (Image 10). Over this period the moon finally emerged from behind the clouds and added some welcome light to the foreground in the images. This band then shifted back to the north and expanded into several rayed bands which moved across the northern sky from 00:16 to 00:26 (Image 11). I headed home at 00:30 but the aurora was still present at that time and the magnetometer data indicate that some of the highest activity this night probably happened after 01:00.
Image 1. 22:22 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 20 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 2. 22:46 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 23 sec. Looking north/north-west. The tall light to the left of the image is from the Imagine Peace Tower – the angle is distorted by the lens as it is actually upright!
Image 3. 22:58 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 22 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 4. 23:08 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 17 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 5. 23:16 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 17 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 6. 23:40 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 4.3 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 7. 23:44 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 14 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 8. 23:49 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 16 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 9. 00:07 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 16 sec. Looking north/north-west.
Image 10. 00:14 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 9.4 sec. Looking north-east.
Image 11. 00:19 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 17 sec. Looking north/north-west.
