Wow!
My dad and I got a fantastic aurora borealis show tonight near the border of Harwinton and Burlington in west-central Connecticut. We stopped in the parking lot of Johnnycake Airport, walked into a field on the Burlington side, and gazed north. At first, we weren’t sure we were seeing anything, but 15-second-exposure photos revealed a green tint in the sky. Then, roughly a half hour after we arrived, the geomagnetic activity increased substantially:
1:01 AM
1:37 AM
“Streaks” of light could be seen reaching up toward the heavens, and the wall of green light clearly got brighter and occupied more of the sky.
Some reddish and purple tint could even be seen. It was awesome!
It’s a good thing we went as far west as we did, because as this picture shows, the Greater Hartford light dome was definitely competing with the Northern lights:
Although we escaped the light dome, we still had to deal with the occasional car going by…
…and we created our own light pollution by taking silly flash pictures of ourselves in front of the auroras. :)
Check out this spooky photo where, appropriately enough for Halloween, I look like a ghost!
Anyway… it was AWESOME!!!
While we’re on the topic of the solar storm, here’s a photo that I took earlier in the day of the sunspots that produced all this, using metalized mylar to filter the sun’s light:
Woohoo!
October 31st, 2003 at 12:41:28 pm
I heard on the radio this morning that it turns out the lawn in front of Grady Little’s house is really overgrown and unkempt. Apparently Grady has a lawnmower, he just couldn’t pull the starter.
Thankyouthankyou, I’ll be here ’till 5 tonight (PST).
October 31st, 2003 at 5:47:56 pm
Andrew: groaaan. :) nono hee hee prettygood
The aurorae were indeed cool. (That plural usage is probably wrong but I like it.) More & better than *I* had expected, certainly; and Brendan too, I think. / We have seen the Northen Lights once in Newfoundland (or was it Nova Scotia? no, NFLD I think) & they were of course stronger & brighter there, as I recall; but still this was pretty darn good for Southern New England. Worth the wee-hours expedition into the wild untamed wilderness of northcentral CT. :)
I’m still officially Scared of the Coronal Mass Ejections — such paternal photonophobia being one aspect of a family tradition around here :) — but this was fun.
October 31st, 2003 at 7:37:45 pm
Brendan! I demand new material! This borealis crud has been on your site too long. Kick yo daddy offline and post!!!
October 31st, 2003 at 8:43:55 pm
Becky - he’s out being a Halloweenie, you sillie. :) / He’s over at our friends’ the Huffmans’ house in the Black Rider getup. Y’know, the Nazgul crud. :) Reports have come in of puzzled little Wethersfield trick-or-treaters toddling back down the sidewalk bleating “Mommy! There’s some kinda weird Monk with a plastic Sword in that house, asking kids if they’ve seen the Baggings on the Shore or something.”
C’MON, I *NEVER* GET TO BE ONLINE WHEN HE’S IN NEWINGTON! Gimme a Break… :)
How’s Halloween in AZ? I heard John McCain is over in Tuscon going house-to-house as Joe Lieberman. (Saint Joe would’ve gone out as Senator John but it’s Shabbat, y’know, can’t do it… :)
October 31st, 2003 at 8:47:35 pm
UPDATE OKOK, so he’s at NHS now for Football. But he WAS Halloweening at Huffmans’ before. / Wonder if he’s wearing the Nazgul crud in the stands at the game? waw haw haw :)
October 31st, 2003 at 9:10:05 pm
UPDATED UPDATE - **OKOK!!** So now, having Lost & Found the Car Keys at the NHS football field, he’s fleeing the New Britain Hurricanes’ counting-of-coup on the Newington Indians (oy, bury my heart at Wounded Knee wouldyez)(normally he would *like* Hurricanes of course) & heading for the Stones’ house, former-NHS-teacher friends. Geez, this website is like a dam’ Spy Satellite. Ashcroft & Rummy, N.B. // Have you ssseeen Braggings? :)