Half-sky auroras - 26.2.2023 at 22.24 - 27.2.2023 at 01.30 Laitila Observation number 112481

Visibility IV / V

Pirjo Koski, Porin Karhunvartijat

The evening's repo values weren't amazing at first, but somehow Etiäinen was tickled to get things ready. In the evening I was in two stages, whether to go out to freeze or stay at home. Fortunately, the spirit of adventure prevailed. I took a look at Pori's Bear Camera and it confirmed that the bank would need to turn around, the camera started to show a stout arched rack matching the kp-3 readings.

Fortunately, the parking lot is ready, -thanks my neighbor. I called for help from a neighbor the day before, the new snowfall brought a little too much snow (thirty centimeters of thick stuff) and the plowing banks are high and terribly icy in some places. There is so much snow on the roadsides, and it is hard to make room for the car with muscle power, especially when the blood pressures are mixed with care after a trigeminal attack.

When I arrived in Lausti, there was a stout arch in the sky that lived lazily. I took the camera and the tripod and went to the field to wonder. If you can say once that the timing worked, now you can say so. As soon as the camera was on the tripod, the horizon was somehow straight, and the cameraman was even there ready, the aurora borealis came to life. Behind my back on the south side was a long, throbbing patch that was trying to stretch into an arc. Ragda? However, no red was visible, only a green, diffused long spot-like shape. I tracked it for a while, but then a dune-like structure seemed to emerge in the diffuse part on the west side, so I turned the camera in that direction.

This evening was so crazy that just when you thought you had seen everything, something new happened in the sky. And then the jaw dropped again. The rip belt rose like lightning through the sky to the zenith, pushing the diffuse aurora ahead of it so that the arc seemed to bulge and stretch unnaturally. On the west side, something was still visible - the structure of the dunes? They did not develop into decent dunes, but the diffuse part as if "pushed" the dunes apart? The dune shelf was visible once again - if you can call it that.

I took the standby position, let's go. I glanced above my head - alas, an aurora corona begins to take shape, but a slightly peculiar one, with short sharp rays - as if the pulsating spots had formed a corona by themselves. Short bursts of light flared up here and there. I shot frantically upwards for a moment. Then a large-scale pulsation began in the sky. It was like a countdown. 3,2,1…and action! Clapperboard!

(continues in comments when yp has accepted havis)

This description has been automatically translated from Finnish. Click here to see the original text.

Illan reposarvot eivät olleet alkuun ihmeelliset, mutta jonkinsortin etiäinen kutkutteli laittamaan tavarat valmiiksi. Illalla olin kahden vaiheilla, lähteäkö jäätymään vai jäädäkö kotiin. Onneksi seikkailumieliala voitti. Vilkaisin Porin Karhukameraan vahvisti sen, että baanalla tarvitsisi käydä kääntymässä, kamerassa alkoi näkymään jämäkkä kp- 3 lukemiin passaava kaarenretale.

Onneksi parkkipaikka on valmiina, -kiitos naapurini. Soitin apua edellispäivänä naapurista, uusi lumisade toi lunta hieman liikaa (sellaset kolmekymmentä senttiä tiukkaa tavaraa) ja aurausvallit ovat paikoin korkeat- ja ihan hirveän jäiset. Lunta on niin paljon tienpenkoilla, ja se on kovaa, ettei lihasvoimin autolle tehdä tilaa etenkään, kun verenpaineet sekoilivat trigeminuksen kohtauksen jälkeen huolella.

Kun saavuin Laustille, oli taivaalla jämäkkä kaari joka eli laiskasti. Otin kameran ja jalustan ja kipitin pellolle ihmettelemään. Jos kerrankin voi sanoa että ajastus toimi niin nyt voi sanoa niin. Heti, kun kamera oli jalustalla, horisontti jotenkinpäin suorassa ja kuvaaja edes sinnepäin valmiina lähti revontulinäytelmä elämään. Selkäni takana etelän puolella oli pitkä, sykkivä läiskä joka yritti venyä kaaren muotoon. Ragda? Punaista ei kuitenkaan näkynyt, vain pelkkää vihreää, diffuusia pitkää läiskänomaista muotoa. Otin seurantaan sen hetkeksi, mutta sitten lännen puolen diffuusiin osaan näytti syntyvän dyynimäistä rakennetta, joten käänsin kameran siihen suuntaan.

Tämä ilta oli siitä niin metka, että just kun luulit nähneesi aivan kaiken, taivaalla tapahtui jotain uutta. Ja sitten loksahti jälleen leuka. Repovyö nousi salamana halki taivaan zeniittiin työntäen diffuusia revontulta edellään niin, että kaari näytti pullistuvan ja venyvän ihan luonnottomaksi. Lännen puolella hahmottui edelleen jotain-dyynien rakennetta? Ihan kunnon dyyneiksi ne eivät kehittyneet vaan diffuusi osa ikäänkuin “työnsi” dyynit hajalleen? Dyynihylly kyllä näkyi jälleen kerran-jos sitä voi siksi kutsua.

Otin valmiusasennon, kohta mentäisiin. Vilkaisin pään yläpuolelle-jaahas, alkaa hahmottumaan revontulikorona, mutta hieman erikoinen sellainen, lyhyillä skarpeilla säteillä- ikäänkuin sykkivät läiskät olisivat yksinään muodostaneet yksinään koronan. Lyhyitä sädekimppuja syttyi siellä ja täällä. Kuvasin vimmatusti hetken ylöspäin. Sitten taivaalla alkoi laajamittainen sykkiminen. Se oli kuin lähtölaskenta. 3,2,1…ja toimintaa! Klaffi!

(jatkuu kommenteissa kun yp on hyväksynyt haviksen)

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Additional information

Aurora brightness
- Very bright auroras
Observed aurora forms
- Arc
  
  ARC The arcs are wider than the bands and do not fold as strongly. The arcs are normally neither very bright nor active.
  
  The arc is probably the most common form of aurora. When aurora show is a calm arc in the low northern sky it often doesn’t evolve to anything more during night. In more active shows the arc is often the first form to appear and the last to disappear.
  
  The lower edge of the arc is usually sharp but the upper edge can gradually blend into the background sky. As activity increases rays and folds normally develop, and the arcs turn gradually into bands.
  
  An aurora arc runs across the picture. Vertical shapes are rays. Photo by Atacan Ergin.
  
  Aurora Arc. Photo by Mauri Korpi.
  
  Aurora Arc. Photo by Anna-Liisa Sarajärvi.
  
  Aurora Arc. Photo by Matti Asumalahti.
- Corona
  
  CoronaA corona is a hand fan shaped structure, it usually forms south of the observer's zenith, most commonly consisting of rays or bands. The corona is usually the most beautiful part of the aurora show. It is bright and active, but on the other hand also short-lived.
  
  Aurora corona. Photo by Anna-Liisa Sarajärvi.
  
  Aurora corona. Photo by Merja Ruotsalainen.
  
  Corona formed from bands. Photo by Markku Ruonala.
  
  Aurora corona. Photo by Tapio Koski.
- Band
  
  Bands are usually narrower, more twisty at the bottom, brighter, and more active than arches. Bands usually develop from arches.
  
  Bands can form J and U shapes, sometimes even full spirals. The corona can also arise from bands. Bands are a fairly common form of aurora.
  
  Aurora band. Photo by Merja Ruotsalainen.
  
  Aurora band. Photo by Matias Takala.
  
  Aurora band. Photo by Lea Rahtu-Korpela.
  
  Aurora bands. Photo by Lauri Koivuluoma.
  
  Aurora band. Photo by Matias Takala.
- Rays
  
  The raysare parallel to the lines of force of the magnetic field, i.e. quite vertical, usually less than one degree thick light streaks. The rays can occur alone or in connection with other shapes, mainly with arcs and bands. Short rays are usually brightest at the bottom but dim quickly. The longest rays, even extending almost from the horizon to the zenith, are usually uniformly bright and quite calm, and unlike the shorter rays, most often occur in groups of a few rays or alone. Rays, like bands, are a very typical form of aurora.
  
  Artificial light pillars, which are a halo phenomenon visible in ice mist, can sometimes be very similar to the rays of aurora. Confusion is possible especially when the lamps that cause the artificial light pillars are far away and not visible behind buildings or the forest. The nature of the phenomenon is clear at least from the photographs.
  
  Rays. Picture of Tom Eklund.
  
  Rays. Photo by Mika Puurula.
  
  Two beams rise from the aurora veil. Photo by Anssi Mäntylä.
  
  Two radial bands. Show Jani Lauanne.
  
  Radial band and veil. Photo by Jussi Alanenpää.
  
  Two rays. Photo by Aki Taavitsainen.
  
  It may be possible to confuse such rays with artificial light columns. Compare the image below. Picture of Tom Eklund.
  
  There is no aurora in this image, but all the light poles - including the wide and diffuse bar seen at the top left - are artificial light pillars born of ice mist. Photo by Sami Jumppanen.
  
  Aurora and artificial light pillars. All the radial shapes in the picture above are probably artificial light pillars that coincide appropriately with the aurora band. In the image below, the aurora band has shifted and does not overlap with the pillars produced by the orange bulbs. There is no orange in auroras. Photo by Katariina Roiha
- Veil
  
  Veil
  Veil is the most bland and very common form of aurora. It usually covers its homogeneous dim glow over a wide area of the sky at once. Most often, the veil is seen in the calmer and quiet phase of the night after the aurora maximum as a background for other forms. The veil can also occur alone and in that case it will be quite difficult to reliably identify as an aurora, especially at a observation site which has a lot of light pollution.
  
  A similar glow of light can also be caused by airborne moisture, smoke, or a very thin layer of clouds that reflects the light that hits them. However, clouds can also be used to identify veil, especially if the middle or upper cloud appears dark against a lighter background, then it is very likely to be aurora veil if the brightness of the background sky is not due to the rising or falling Moon or Sun. When photographing, very long exposure times usually reveal the green colour of the veil auroras.
  
  Veil and rays. Photo by Esa Palmi.
  
  Red aurora veil. Photo by Marko Mikkilä.
  
  Veil. Photo by Milla Myllymaa.
  
  Aurora veil that changes color from green at the lower edge through purple to blue at the top. Photo by Jaakko Hatanpää.
  
  Dim green veil. Photo by Jarmo Leskinen.
  
  Radial aurora band surrounded by veil. Photo by Jussi Alanenpää.
- Dunes
  
  Dunes
  
  The dunes are a dim and very rare shape that has so far been associated with the aurora visible in early evening.
  
  Aurora dunes can be most easily confused to ribbons on lower clouds. In order to fill in the description of the phenomenon, a striped pattern formed by parallel lines must also appear in the aurora. The stripes are most easily recognizable right at the front edge of the aurora but they may also occur among the rest of the aurora.
  
  The dune auroras are visible as a parallel striped float. Photo by Tapio Terenius
  
  Raidallisen dyynilautan reunassa voi toisinaan olla voimakastakin aaltoilua.
  
  There can sometimes be strong ripples at the edge of a striped dune float. The rippling of the edge of the dune float can vary from minor to large (pictured). Photo by Pirjo Koski
- Pulsating patches
  
  Pulsating patches or -aurora typically have more or less regular shape and size. They typically appear in the later part of an aurora display. They are almost always pulsating in variable periods.
- Form not identifiable
  
  Form not identifiable
  Sometimes auroras have to be observed in such poor conditions that it is not possible to reliably identify the shape even if for example the structure and conditions could be recognized. Such a situation could be the outcome of for example alight background sky, cloud cover or a covered horizon.

Colors with unaided eye and other features
- Green auroras
  
  Green, seen with the naked eye, is one the most common colors of the aurora. The green color is derived from atomic oxygen.
  
  Green auroras. Lea Rahtu-Korpela.
  
  Green auroras. Photo by Juha Ojanperä.
- Red coloration of the shapes lower edge
  
  Red lower edge visible with the naked eye. The bands which are starting to level up their activity and are green colored have quite often a narrow red lower edge. This is the most common form of red color which is derived from molecular nitrogen.
  
  Aurora band with purple lower edge. Photo by Ilmo Kemppainen.
  
  The low hanging brightest aurora band is colored red at the lower edge. Photo by Tero Ohranen.
  
  Narrow purple reddish tones at the lower part of this aurora band. Photo by Merja Ruotsalainen.
  
  Purple band at the bottom. Photo by Panu Lahtinen.
- Red coloration of the shapes top
  
  Auroras which have red top part that can be seen with naked eye are most often observed in the bands and long rays. In this case the lower parts are usually green. If the upper parts are in sunlight, red may be stronger than green. This shade of red is due to the discharge of the excitation state of the atomic oxygen.
  
  Aurora that shift to reddish towards the top. Photo by Karri Pasanen.
  
  Red top in a aurora band. Photo by Simo Aikioniemi.
  
  Red at the top of the aurora. Picture of Tom Eklund.
- Fully red auroras
  
  Completely dark red aurora is a very rare and strikingly handsome revelation. This phenomenon is also due to the discharge of an excitation state of an atomic oxygen.
  
  Throughout red aurora. Photo by Tobias Billings.
- Pulsating auroras
  
  Pulsating aurora. The brightness of the pulsating aurora usually varies rhythmically over a period that can be only a fraction of a second at its fastest, but can also be several minutes. Pulsing usually only occurs in(strong auroral conditions) higher quality shows , especially towards the end of them. However, the pulsation may be followed by yet another eruption. Sometimes the variation in brightness is at the same stage in the whole form, whereby the whole form "turns on and off" at the same time. Pulsation is also found in arches and bands, but above all in spots..
- Streaming auroras
  
  Streaming. In streaming aurora fast irregular variations in brightness occur along the horizontal dimension of homogeneous shapes.

Technical information

Canon EOS 6D, Irix Blackstone 15mm

ISO 1600-2500, f2.8-3.5, 2-8s

Comments: 1 pcs

Pirjo Koski - 1.3.2023 at 16.23

Kun laskin katseeni ja käännyin ympäri oli vastassa näky jota ei ihan hetkeen unohtaisi-idän suunnalta nousi ohut, rispaantunut revontulivyö suoraan ylöspäin. Herranjestakset ja pyyt persikkapuussa! Kotona näytti hetken siltä, että sillä on picket fence-ilmiö kyljessä ja tässä kohtaa piti oikein räpytellä silmiä.

Sen jälkeen tilanne menikin täydeksi kaaokseksi. Kääntelin kameraa ylös, sivulle, takaisin ylös, sivulle, ei varjele nyt tapahtuu idässä jotain ja voi samperi, nyt lännessä…heti, kun näytelmä veti henkeä siirryin pellolla hieman toiseen paikkaan jotta etuala muuttuisi edes vähäsen ja kiitin mielessäni sadatta kertaa naapuria, joka oli lanannut pellolle oikein kuljettavan baanan. Teki muutenkin hyvää liikkua välillä, koska pakkasta oli reilusti. Kädenlämmitin piti nippa nappa linssin puhtaana. Musta kamerareppu oli muuttunut aika päiviä sitten maaston väriseksi.

Pilvilautta alkoi työntymään vieden lännen näkyvyyden mennessään, mutta samassa kaikki kaaressa tapahtuva äksöni näytti keskittyvän idän suunnille, joten kävelin vähän lähemmäs autoa ja pystytin jalustan uudestaan. Samassa läjähti horisonttiin jotain punaista. Alue joka kasvoi…ja kasvoi..ja kiipesi kohti zeniittiä ja lopulta punainen revontulimuoto venyi zeniittiin muodostaen osin punaisen revontulikoronan ja ehkä yhden upeimmista näkemistäni punaisista revontuliverhoista. punainen näkyi oikein hyvin silmälle enkä muista ihan hetkeen etelässä vastaavaa nähnyt.

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Half-sky auroras - 26.2.2023 at 22.24 - 27.2.2023 at 01.30 Laitila Observation number 112481

Dunes