Contains:  Solar system body or event
Virginia Aurora 23/24 April 2023, Linda

Virginia Aurora 23/24 April 2023

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)
Virginia Aurora 23/24 April 2023, Linda

Virginia Aurora 23/24 April 2023

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

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Description

We don't often get aurorae in Virginia. And thankfully, the recently resurrected allsky camera was on the job to make sure I didn't miss this one! In the animation you can see a pink glow come in from the north (bottom) and intensify just as clouds wipe the view out. The greenish glow to the northeast (bottom right) is terrestrial light pollution. The occasional flashes that light up the tree are from car headlights passing by on the street. The occasional "jiggle" in the image at the beginning is caused by strong winds shaking the mast the camera is attached to.

I tried to see it visually but all I saw was a brightening of the northern horizon. It was too faint for me to see any color. The camera had no problem with its 30 second exposures. I have managed to see aurorae twice before in Virginia. Both were pale, anemic things to my eye though the first one did show visible movement. In this aurora, I could definitely see changes from frame to frame in the allsky camera.

Of course, this is going to be a sad comparison to those northern observers who got treated to real show! Still, I'm happy to have seen it al all even if I was sitting in the seats at the back of the theater metaphorically speaking.

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