Half-sky auroras - 10.2.2022 at 19.00 - 11.2.2022 at 01.05 Ikaalinen, Sisättö Observation number 104728

• Aurora brightness
• • Bright auroras
• Observed aurora forms
• • 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

  • 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

  • Red Arc with Green Diffuse Aurora (RAGDA)

    Red Arc with Green Diffuse Aurora (RAGDA), is a two-component form of northern lights that occurs south of the oval.

    Both parts of the aurora are formed when positive particles from the magnetosphere hit the Earth's upper atmosphere. The phenomenon occurs before magnetic midnight during large aurora substorms and is best distinguished when it deteches southward from the bright rays of the substorm aurora.

    The phenomenon consists of a faint red arc, which looks a lot like a Stable Auroral Red (SAR)-arc. The common factor for these two red arcs is the reaction of the ring current with the substorm.

    
    A Red Arc with Green Diffuse Aurora
    Photo: Antero Ohranen

     

    Below the red arc are green diffuse patches or sausage-like shapes. RAGDA's green aurora is essentially featureless and without any rays. It may appear slightly more bluish in camera images compared to the green aurora of the oval.

    
    RAGDA's green has slightly more bluish shade than the rest of the oval.
    Photo: Lasse Nurminen

     

    Sometimes the red arc and the green patches are clearly separated from the aurora oval and sometimes almost in contact with the southward edge of the oval.

    During an active substorm, the green northern lights can sometimes be seen with red tops. These usually have rays that RAGDA's green aurora lacks.

    An emissionless gap without any aurora light can be observed between the red arc and green diffuse aurora. The two features don't seem to be connected. Of the two aligned structures, the red one is located ~ 100 kilometers higher than the green aurora.

    
    There seems to be an empty area without any aurora light between the red and green aurora.
    Photo: Markku Ruonala

     

    The event is dynamic. It sometimes starts with green blobs, then a red arc appears. These two can also appear in the sky at the same time. The shapes move often from east to west. Then the Red Arc with Green Diffuse Aurora fades away and only the red arc remains visible in the sky. The red arc is recognized as the SAR arc.

    Observing this phenomenon is easier when the night sky is clear and dark before magnetic midnight. When looking for the red arc with green diffuse aurora, the best results can be achieved by pointing the camera towards south or southwest of the brightest part of the oval.

    A wide-angle lens is recommended for photographing the shape of the red arc going over the sky, but a regular lens can also be used. The red arc is quite dim, so the exposure times needed are typically longer than the ones for northern lights.

    
    Two RAGDA-arcs
    Photo: Pirjo Koski

     

    If the red arc cannot be distinguished in the images, the phenomenon identification 'Diffuse green auroras' should be used for isolated hazy green blobs/arc.

    
    Dunes in RAGDA's green aurora
    Photo: Matias Takala

     

• 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.

  • Flaming auroras

    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.

  • Streaming auroras

    Streaming. In streaming aurora fast irregular variations in brightness occur along the horizontal dimension of homogeneous shapes.

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