Aurora over London?

[evacguy]

I think these are photographs of the aurora (or is it just light pollution?) as seen from Blackheath common on Sunday 12 May 2024. The four photographs were taken within a time window of 28 s starting at 23:48:36. Unfortuately, I neglected to bring my tripod, so photographs are all handheld. The blob on the extreme left edge is the crescent moon blown out.

23:48:36

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
• 24.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/25 sec
• ISO 1250

23:48:58, the same scene framed but taken 22 s later.

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
• 25.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/25 sec
• ISO 1250

23:49:01 a slightly different framing (crescent moon is centre bottom of frame) taken 3 s later.

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
• 25.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/25 sec
• ISO 1250

23:49:04. Same framing as the previous photograph, but lost the crescent moon at the very bottom of the frame, taken 3 s later.

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
• 25.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/25 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[evacguy]

23:21. This is shot of the crescent aurora moon with the 70-200mm, also handheld.

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

very hard to say, my first reaction is light pollution. Don't you have to be in much darker sky territory to see the Aurora?
Nice moon shot though!

 

[iamdlewis]

Those are clouds, they may be reflecting some aurora light or just light pollution, especially if you are around London.

 

[evacguy]

very hard to say, my first reaction is light pollution. Don't you have to be in much darker sky territory to see the Aurora?
Nice moon shot though!

Well, under normal conditions yes. But Friday and Sunday we had extra-ordinary solar activity with G5 conditions. NOAA reported that the Aurora would be visible all over the UK including London. In London it was hard to see with the naked eye, although you could detect the slight colouration. However, some folks in parts of London took some really amazing photographs of the Aurora over London. One chap in Blackheath (where these photographs were taken) took some amazing shots at about 03:00 am. So, I'm not sure. If it was simply light pollution, would the colours change on this sort of time scales? Also, if light pollution, wouldn't the moon have been impacted similarly earlier on in the evening - it was taken just some 20 min earlier ?

 

[evacguy]

Those are clouds, they may be reflecting some aurora light or just light pollution, especially if you are around London.

Yes, they are clouds, I assumed that they were reflecting the aurora glow of the sky.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Aurora visible in London! Saarth London, at that!

Wow.

Anyway, I haven't a clue about that... but I love the moon pic.