Aurora

Over the years we lived on Ardnamurchan we were fortunate to see some spectacular auroras, and have since seen them in Canada. They're one of the wonders of the night sky.

While Kilchoan is at 57.70° north, Golspie is 57.98° north, so we should have a better chance of seeing an aurora, even though we are currently in the quiet phase of the sunspots' eleven-year aurora cycle. 

Unless one lives in northern Norway or Canada, or somewhere like Iceland, the problem with auroras is getting a warning that one is likely to happen. There is an app but, judging by last night, it isn't very helpful.

Then one has to have the right conditions: a cloudless night, little or no moon, no street lights, and somewhere which gives a clear view of the northern horizon.

In Kilchoan, we had to drive six miles to the nearest vantage point by which time, all too often, the aurora had subsided.

Last night there was an aurora, and we saw it thanks to a heads-up from Rachael. The AuroraWatch app, seen here, is excellent at indicating what's happening, and an amber alert is very promising.

Although we've had auroras here before, for example back in September, it's the first time we've had a good chance to see one.

When I first went outside the northern horizon was obscured by thin cloud but there was definitely light behind it. Minutes later I went out again and we were in the grip of a snowstorm. When I went out for a third time the aurora was almost over but the stars of the northern sky were visible between elongate clouds.

In this picture, taken at eleven o'clock, one can just see the pale green glow of the aurora above the lights of the houses. It wasn't spectacular, and the various lights aren't helpful, but it was very heartening: we can see auroras from our house!