Did I photograph the Aurora or was it something else? (2016)(wp.lancs.ac.uk)
wp.lancs.ac.uk
Did I photograph the Aurora or was it something else? (2016)
https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/aurorawatchuk/2016/03/16/did-i-photgraph-the-aurora-or-was-it-something-else/
9 comments
I suppose you get into astronomy because you're interested in outer space. Your question is like asking a soil scientist about something you found on a pavement.
Assuming the professor is still alive, would you ever follow up with them to see what they would think of the photo now?
I'd have no idea how to find him. But I think it'd be a fruitless task anyway. I'm sure they'd have no memory of what, to them, was a moment as mundane as any other that day. I've definitely had people recount a shared experience to me, reminiscing about how profound it was, and me having no idea what they're talking about.
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To go along with these, aurora light consists of emissions at specific wavelengths, and this can potentially interact with the optical system of the camera you use to produce interference patterns. If you see these patterns (which can appear as rings of light and dark around the middle of the photo) then that indicates that a good portion of the light is at least monochromatic, which very strongly indicates aurora. If you don't see them, it means nothing - your camera might just not have an arrangement that does that.
Noctilucent clouds are another stunning sky phenomenon that I've only got to see a few times. Not sure if they're typically visible from the UK.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud
https://www.space.com/noctilucent-clouds
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud
https://www.space.com/noctilucent-clouds
Actually its spirits dancing in the skies.
I mention this because in the 1990s, while at uni in St Andrews, Scotland, I remember a trip to the astronomy observatory one evening. There was a peculiar cloud overhead - whitish purple, tube shaped and shimmering. I asked the astro professor what it was. He said, "Its a cloud" and showed no further interest. I took a photo. When I got the film developed and photos printed, you could see bright colours either side of the tube. I've always wondered a) what it was and b) why that astronomy professor was an astronomy professor when he had no interest in what the universe had to reveal to him.
I now believe it to have been a STEVE. I've still got no insight into the mind of the astro professor.