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Merry Dancers light up August skies

Northern Lights, Rousay, August 2011.
Looking NNE from Springfield, Rousay, at 01h 10m UT, August 6, 2011. A four-seccond exposure Nikon D70 digital SLR and 25mm F f/2.8 lens working at ISO 600. (John Vetterlein)

The Sun is currently very active giving rise to auroral displays visible from Northern Scotland.

There was a prolonged event on the night of August 5/6, consisting of a broad, persistent northern arc and filaments stretching from west to east.

Much larger areas of banding and detached elements (mostly in the green/violet end of the visible spectrum) developed in the early hours of
Saturday, August 6. Patches moved in rapid succession from the zenith in all directions together with a tenuous “corona” lasting a few minutes from time to time.

All this was readily visible despite the presence of  strong twilight.

Astronomical twilight, with the Sun less than 18 arc-degrees below the horizon, persists all night, from the latitude of Orkney, until August 20.

Click here for more details and images.