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[MaryG]

The only other time I've seen this in my life was perhaps thirteen years ago...

Bright curtains of green, red and yellow just after twilight.

Tonight, I saw them at approximately 5:55pm. They covered the northern half of the sky... and bright glowing spots were clearly visible to the *south*!

I just took another drive (at the house, a forest completely obscures the sky view north and west), and the sky is still luminous. It's green, but without the classic pulsating curtains I saw at dusk.

The other time I saw this early display, I was listening to WGN in the car as I drove north of Milwaukee, and there were a large number of call-ins from Chicago people who were seeing the same I was. So... did anyone else get lucky tonight?? ;D

-MaryG (hoping she posted in the right area of the board)

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Mary!!!,

Always nice to see your post, and a very good one at that!

It appears that you indeed did view Auroras way down to our latitude...

This image from space weather.com shows great auroral activity all the way "down" to Utah that was captured this evening. And Mary...there are more coming down our way...

From Space weather.com: More auroras are possible on Nov. 8th and 9th when a pair of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are due to hit Earth's magnetic field. The CMEs were hurled in our direction by weekend explosions near sunspot 696: an M7-class solar flare on Nov. 6th (0030 UT) and an X1-flare on Nov. 7th (1605 UT). Stay tuned!

From Utah is this great site of astronomical information, the source of the Aurora image and regular updates for Utah residents: www.utahskies.org/

When you see them again, give us another report...maybe even take a picture of it? You would need to leave the shutter open for at least 1/2 of a second or more I would guess.

Thanks for the notice and observation.

[MaryG]

Joe,

I'll have to investigate the whereabouts of the only surviving SLR in this household... it hasn't been used in a few years. Husband went digital-ape at about that time, and one of those is what I took down the street just moments ago for a few here-goes-nothing shots, which I'll look at tomorrow when I'm more awake.

My neighbor called moments after I first posted. Purty auroras make people go happynutz!!

Thanks for the great links! BTW, it was exactly one year ago when there was another huge solar storm. We saw no aurora during that whole period (I want to say-- they were forecast for nearly a week?). However, there was some bizarre weather, and then my cat died abruptly... which is why I remember that...

As of 5 minutes ago, the green curtains are back, but not as vivid as earlier. Still lovely! I truly hope some of you are able to enjoy this-- if not tonight, then perhaps tomorrow or Tuesday!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

This present remarkable aurora episode is quite fantastic, as reports are coming in from all around, and even Illinois is witnessing a show.

These images were taken by Dennis Persyk of Hampshire, IL in Northern Illinois...

For additional images and commentary on the Auroras please visit his informative site at: home.att.net/~dpersyk/new.htm

I like his Igloo Observatory.

Dennis, great shots you captured there, I only wish I could have witnessed the display myself here in the heart of the monster that is Chicago.

Al...I'm sure you are getting a great view of the auroras!

Sigh

[Al Degutis]

WOW. I SAW IT. IT WAS AWESOME.

Sorry to yell but I held it in for so long. I wanted to scream that last night while observing the event for nearly 4 hours!

I'm reviewing the 207 pictures I took with my Canon Digital SLR and will post the better ones and a full report later this morning.

Now the great news is that on the drive in to work this morning (after only 2.5 hours of sleep) news radio WBBM quoted a Chicago Astronomer that said the event should last until Wednesday. GET OUTSIDE TONIGHT TO SEE THIS!

[Al Degutis]

One of the better shots I took last night:



Here are some more (only a fraction of the 207 pictures) but it includes larger sized images to see more detail:
www.skyinsight.net/r/index.php?a=aurora

Here is my LONG report:

Around 20:30 (all time listed are CST and approximated) I saw report about the aurora borealis being visible in Northern Illinois. Never having seen the northern lights I went outside and looked due North at the horizon. It was all white. Clouded over I thought and went back in and told my wife about the clouds. My neighbor and friend David Drizner called around 20:45 told me it wasn't clouds but the aurora. He suggested that I grab my digital camera and I was so glad he did. My wife and I went over to Dave's house around 21:00 and watched it with him and his wife. We saw streaks that looked like wisps of clouds but they flashed and moved like thin curtains in the wind. I snapped pictures with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel (300D) DSLR but didn't realize until until 15 or 20 minutes later that I had left the camera set to ISO 100. I changed it to IS0 1600 and snapped some more.

We went home around 21:30 and finished a second batch of cookies that we were in the middle of making before becoming aware of the northern lights. I finished cookie duty (I had to help with the melted caramel and pecan toppings) and went back out at 22:00 with the Canon Digital Rebel. The northern sky was dark and starry. The aurora seemed to emminate from the east heading west. The bands were much wider now. The entire eastern horizon (trees at the foot) light up with white, gray and green. It looked like the bands were waves of water stretched from the east to the zenith (and beyond at times) and then rippled towards the south. I was NOW able to see red patches in the eastern horizon amidst the green bands. One very large red patch. All the while snapping pictures. At times the sky was aglow with the aurora lights that a 30 seconds exposure at 1600 ISO was overexposed! [note - looking at the pictures later, they were not overexposed it was just the way the LCD screen displayed the image] The north was still dark and the light streaked east to west and rippled some more.

My step-daughter arrived home late from work around 22:20. I dragged her out to the yard to see this. She was amazed. Shocked. She saw the dancing bands of light. She spotted the red patch. My camera battery died so I went in at 22:40 to call it a night. I started charging the battery and ran into my step-son. I invited him outside for a look. Although I already had my shoes off, I threw on a pair of slippers and went out into the cold (lower 40s, upper 30s) night. He too was impressed. It was now around 23:00 and the light formed a bow and ribbon shape with the center of the
bow very near the zenith with two wide bands (the ribbons) heading northeast and southeast and two others northwest and southwest. They no didn't shimmered, streaked or rippled. It just stayed like that for 15 minutes. Then it started to fade in the center and bands that made up the ribbons thinned. Then it started randomly lighting up various sections starting somewhere in one of the "ribbons" and streaked to the center. It was like an orchestrated light show. Lighting up from the outside to the center. It did this light show for about 10 minutes. It reminded me of the scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind where earthlings aliens communicated with the lights and sounds only this evening there was no sound.

The bow ribbon light show ended and a new form appears. The bow and ribbons turned into a star burst, again starting at the zenith and stretching our mostly east and west and a little to the north. It was steady with no fluctation for approximately 10 minutes.

Looking north I spotted 4 pillars of bright green light spaced about 5 degrees apart going from the horizon straight up. It looked like the spots lights at a car dealership but green. They were stationary for a few minutes and then the pillars moved side-to-side (east to west and back) still point up from the horizon. I went inside, put my gym shoes back on, grabbed my now recharged camera battery and headed back out. Now at the zenith the star burst pattern was gone but flashes of light danced about the sky overhead. Looking east it was still bright with green and red patches and bands. Then I saw a few red streaks the first red I saw that wasn't part of a patch but a streaking band of light. I snapped dozens photos and just stared in awe.

During the entire night I spotted 8 meteors. When my camera battery died a second time, I called it a night and went to bed at 01:30. My alarm was set to wake me up 04:30 to get ready for work. I didn't care that I'd only get a few hours of sleep. It was worth it.

[Sheri]

We watched it last night (11/7) with our jaws hanging open. Does anyone know whether they will be visible in Florida?

Sheri.

[stargazer]

Hi Everyone,

We saw the lights from the front yard. I took the camera out to try to capture it on film. I will know today if I got them or not. We took Cjout to see them. It was neat towatch them dance all over the sky. A couple times we had these long streaks that went from Horizon to Hroizon with a circle in the middle right over our heads. It was if the Magnetic field was right here. There was some reds (as BIll told me what colors I was looking at) Greens, Blues. I hope we can see them again tonight. I will try to video tape them if they are. AS it is rare we see them from here. Most of the time they only come as far south as Wisc. I dont know if Fla saw them or not, havnt heard anything yet. Some are saying Cal saw them. We shall see wont we.

Joe Im sorry you didnt see them. They were beautiful.

Becky

[Al Degutis]

Sheri said:

We watched it last night (11/7) with our jaws hanging open. Does anyone know whether they will be visible in Florida?

Sheri.

Not according to spaceweather.com:

"At its peak last night, the storm produced Northern Lights as far south as Oklahoma and California in the United States"

It was a jaw dropping sight. I was so excited and giddy I could hardly contain myself.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Al,

What a great account of the event, it drew an excellent mind picture of what you saw for me and other readers. You images are so cool! I really think you should submit them to the mags and astro sites. If you don't...then I will in your behalf.

And Beck's...I would have driven out by you if I would have known about this ahead of time.

I really tried to see any inkling of a light, but alas...not to be. Chicago strong armed it's way again.

But regardless...What a great time to be an astronomer!

[Al Degutis]

Chicago said:

Al,

What a great account of the event, it drew an excellent mind picture of what you saw for me and other readers. You images are so cool! I really think you should submit them to the mags and astro sites. If you don't...then I will in your behalf.

I've already submitted to many and still some more to do. Thanks for the encouragement.

But regardless...What a great time to be an astronomer!

Quite true! I spent a good part of the morning describing the event, sharing pictures and trying to answer their questions.

[dewayne]

What am I doing sitting here reading this?
I'm heading outside to look for the aurora.

[Al Degutis]

The skies here in my part of McHenry County are clouded over. Nothing to see... if there's anything to see.

[MaryG]

sigh....

All cloudy here too. Oh well-- we'll always have last night!!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I got nuttin...

Sigh

[NatureDevil]

I'm going to be in Addison tonioght for school, and after that I am going on a little drive up north to around where Crystal Lake/Cary is to visit a few friends and see what I can see. Hopefully the sky won't suck and I'll have something to report tonight.

I remember seeing this before when I was younger, but I was in Wisconsin. I don't ever remember seeing anything close to this clarity (from looking at the pictures) in Illinois. Does this happen often, and I am just unaware of it?

NatureDevil

[stargazer]

Hey Guys,

If its clear tonihgt we may still have the Aurora's.I have been getting good reports on these. right now the % of the lights is 100 which is great. Keepyour eyes to the sky tonight if its clear. We may have another chance.

Becky

[Al Degutis]

NatureDevil said:

I don't ever remember seeing anything close to this clarity (from looking at the pictures) in Illinois. Does this happen often, and I am just unaware of it?NatureDevil

Brian,

Yes it happens often, but only for this living in upper Canada and Alaska. It's a rare treat to see this as far south as we are.

As for the clarity, the photos picked up MUCH more that our eyes would but it was a truely amazing sight to see with the naked eye. I rank it above a Lunar eclipse which I rank up there.

Good luck in Crystal Lake. The cloud cover forecast is for approx 33% clouds.

[Al Degutis]

stargazer said:

Hey Guys,

If its clear tonihgt we may still have the Aurora's.I have been getting good reports on these. right now the % of the lights is 100 which is great. Keepyour eyes to the sky tonight if its clear. We may have another chance.

Becky

Yep. spaceweather.com states:

AURORA ALERT: If it's dark where you live, look for auroras now. A geomagnetic storm, sparked by two coronal mass ejections hitting Earth's magnetic field today, is in progress and intensifying.

Still just under 3 hours until sunset and a little longer for darkness. My location has 25% cloud cover forecasted at sunset, rising to nearly 50% by midnight. Let's hope they're wrong and it 25% going down to 0%. ;D

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

While chatting with the public during the Lunar Occultation at the Adler Planetarium...many mentioned observing the auroras that they saw since Sunday. We get many out of towners with dark skies. It was a great opportunity to show them the origin of the explosive events in the telescope that led to the light show.

I will attempt to observe the auroras tonight, but it is highly doubful.

Glad many of us are catching them tho.

[Al Degutis]

I spent some time outside last night between 8 and 10pm CST. Looking directly north at the horizon and 10 to 20 degrees up, there was signs of the northern lights. Light pillars or curtains. Not as defined and strong as two nights ago but still nice. For the most part the north is just brighter and then the pillars appear for a short but and are gone. The clouds aren't bad but the few that are directly in the north create the only red in the photos. The best display, both naked eye and photographic, came around 8:20pm. Thats where it had structure that looked like rays. It was fleeting though.



Full sized images and the full set of images here:
skyinsight.net/r/index.php?a=aurora2

Spaceweather.com posted some of the photos from last night and a link to my photos from Sunday night.

[NatureDevil]

I remember seeing a special on Alaska a while back that said you could see the Aurora quite often; one of my main reasons for wanting to go to Alaska:

The Aurora, the ice caves, and ANWR....all beautiful to see, and all creations of nature.

Crystal Lake was cloudy as we approached it late last night....but of course the sky was clear in the city when we came back.

Thanks for the pictures, by the way Al; most appreciative. One of the lucky shots is gracing its precense on my desktop.

NatureDevil

[Al Degutis]

I just got a call from Larry Mowry, meteorologist with ABC 7 News in Chicago. He asked for permission to use one of my photos of the aurora from last night in today's 4pm newscast. I'm so excited. I'm going to try and get home in time to record it but just incase, I'd appreciate it if others could record the 4pm newscast on ABC 7 today.

Thanks!!!!

[Al Degutis]

This just in...

Rick DiMaio from FoxNews just contacted me for permission to use the aurora photos on the 9pm newscast tonight. I said "yep".

[NatureDevil]

Holy crap!! Congrats.

I'll record the ABC channel 7 slot at 4pm as I'll be home to catch it. I won't be home for Fox, but I'll set the timer and see what happens.

You guys are going to be getting dangerous soon, with all the publicity.

NatureDevil

[NatureDevil]

Mike Caplan ABC 7 News: "...last night, as we expected, the Northern Lights were visable; this is a picture from Al Degutis (sp?), who lives in McHenry County, not too far from Woodstock, looking north, said this was not as vivid a display as what he saw on Sunday night; but you can still make out some of the green and red hues there along the northern horizon....you are not going to see the aurora tonight......"

They had your photo up for a good 11 seconds, half the time alone, half the time with the weather guy walking in front of it and pointing at it while he spoke.

Thought you'd like to know the transcript. Gotta run, performance tonight in Villa Park again, ciao.....

NatureDevil

[Al Degutis]

Thanks for posting the transcript, Brian! I would have never thought of that.

I got home in time and was able to record it. Now I need to save it off the Tivo before one of the kids erase it.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Al....

How Cool! ;D

Too late for Ch.7, but I'm gonna catch the Ch.32 mention. I'm so excited for you and your images are indeed the best of the aurora that I have seen. The recognitions you are receiving are well deserved and more to come.

You too cool!

[Al Degutis]

Thanks Joe.

Looks like Fox News opted for the picture of the North Pole from July instead. Go figure.

I had hoped to get the exposure on the 9 o'clock news which is seen by more that the 4pm. Oh well, it was a nice 11 seconds of fame. I have received a few e-mails from people who saw the pictures on spaceweather.com

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Al,

I looked for the image on Ch.32, but alas...not to be seen. Artic pic? No continuity.

But I have put together this in homage to your 11 minutes of fame...

Hooray for Al!!! ;D

Did you get the image from the 4:00 pm show? If so please do send it to me.