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Ursa Astronomical Association

Active aurora band - 28.3.2017 at 02.00 - 28.3.2017 at 05.28 Asikkala Observation number 62545

Visibility III / V

Samuli Ikäheimo, Lahden Ursa

It was a gloomy and stormy night .. literally.

When the first northern lights wave started after ten, I was just packing the shooting crabs at home, watching the flagship ferries flying there. I decided to wait over midnight for a possible second wave.

On the way to Pulkkilanharju, we were allowed to dodge the branches that threw the wind into the road. At some point, I was already thinking about the wisdom of the whole trip as a snowstorm hit the windshield. However, the trip was worthwhile, as the best northern lights show of the season awaited us in a brisk breeze.

The northern lights were allowed to be enjoyed until half past six, when the twilight of the morning overcame them with their glory. The most active phase began after about four, when repos that had previously reached a height of 15 to 30 degrees from the northern horizon began to move more strongly. At about 4.20, a slow throbbing began, which soon became very fast-paced, occasionally reaching almost zenith.

The rapid rhythm, massive scale, and speed of the pulsation felt as if a drumming was emerging from within the earth, which, as it exited the atmosphere, manifested itself as an inconceivably fast flare outward from the northern lights and spots. Man felt very small in the face of such a massive phenomenon.

The loading of the footage is still badly in progress, but is now being blown out of the photo side. The video, both time-child and real-time material, is expected to appear in the coming days.

First image of the report at 2.15, last 5.24.

Larger pictures:
http://sikaheimo.photodeck.com/-/galleries/aurora-28032017



More similar observations
Additional information
  • Aurora brightness
    • Very bright auroras
  • Colors with unaided eye and other features
    • Flaming auroras info

      Flaming. This rare subclass of aurora does not mean so much a single shape, but a large area in the sky. In the flaming aurora, bright waves that are sweeping upward towards the magnetic zenith emerge in the sky. Very rarely waves can wipe downwards. Bands are usually reported during flaming, less often spots.

    • Pulsating auroras info

      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..

    • Blue auroras info

      Clearly blue auroras can be seen only during the best aurora displays close to the maximum phase or soon after it. Sometimes blue auroras can be seen shortly after the sunset at the top part of the auroral shapes, specially rays. It is created by the mission of the ionized nitrogen molecules created by the suns radiation.

      Strongly colored blue auroras. Photo by Jorma Mäntylä.

      Blue top parts of the aurora. Image by Tom Eklund. 

      Blue top parts of the aurora. Image by Jaakko Hatanpää.

      Partly blue corona. Photo by Tapio Koski.

      Faintly blue top parts of an aurora veil. Photo by Jaakko Hatanpää.

    • Green auroras info

      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.

    • Violet auroras info

      Usually in Lapland or even in the south you can see purple auroras in stronger aurora shows. The most common color in auroras along with green and red.

  • Observed aurora forms
    • ;Veil;Rays;Band;Arc
Technical information

Canon EOS 6D, Sony a7S, 24 / 1.4, 55 / 1.8, Sony RX100M3. Panoramas composed of 3 to 10 still images.

Comments: 7 pcs
Emma Bruus - 29.3.2017 at 10.31 Report this

Hienot otokset upeassa ympäristössä. Onnittelut!

Sylvain Eckhardt - 29.3.2017 at 13.04 Report this

Hieno tarina et hienoja kuvia! Itse olin liikkeellä juuri klo 0-2 Oulussa eikä sen kummemmin ollut nähtävissä ja pettyneenä luulin että kaikki oli ohi ja lähdin pois kuvauspaikalta. No olisi pitänyt jäädä vähän aikaa paikalle...

Samuli Ikäheimo - 31.3.2017 at 13.56 Report this

Kiitokset. Aina ei jaksa koko yötä odottaa, mutta auttaa kummasti jos ei ihan hetkeen ole päässyt kunnon havaintosession makuun. Tämän vuoden havaintoyöt lienee laskettavissa yhden käden sormin joten intoa riitti.

Samuli Ikäheimo - 3.9.2017 at 20.06 Report this

Viime kauden kansioita selatessa tuli vastaan koevideopätkä kyseisen illan loimusta. Varsinaisen materiaalin leikkaus on vielä kesken, mutta tuuppasin pätkän youtubeen testimielessä että näkee pakkauksen vaikutuksen yms... Sykkiminen herätti irkin puolella kuitenkin sen verran keskustelua että ehkä tämän viitsi tännekin jakaa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzsQdqVlOOc

Materiaali on siis ns. real-time-nopeudella, ei nopeutettua timelapsea. 

Panu Lahtinen - 3.9.2017 at 20.14 Report this

On tosiaan melko erikoista sykkimistä, en muista aikaisemmin nähneeni. Ne sykkimiset mitä itse olen nähnyt, ovat olleet  "paikallaan", ei tuollaisina pyyhkäisyinä.

Juho Pöllänen - 3.9.2017 at 22.41 Report this

Pari kertaa olen päässyt todistamaan tuollaisia sykkiviä aaltoja, tässä ja tässä havainnossa. Todella upeita livenä. Ja tosi hienoja sinun videolla! Omalla laitteistolla en ole saanut talteen. Miten tuo on kuvattu?

Samuli Ikäheimo - 4.9.2017 at 16.34 Report this

Videot on kuvattu Sonyn a7S:llä ja Samyangin 24/1.4:llä.

Kyseisenlainen sykkivä loimotus tuntuu olevan yleisintä voimakkaiden revontulien loppupuolella, silloin kuin varsinainen esitys alkaa olla jo laantumassa. Omalle kohdalle tuntuu osuvan kerran pari vuodessa, näin etelässä asuvana.

Vaikka ilmiö hyvin videolle tallntuukin, saa sen skaalasta parhaan kuvan vasta omin silmin. Alle 30 asteen korkeudessa olevat revontulet lienevät varsin kaukana havaintopaikasta (500+ km), joten niistä salamannopeasti lähes zeniittiin yltävät sykkeet pistävät katsojan tuntemaan itsensä varsin mitättömäksi luonnonvoimien edessä.

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