Nite Lights

[Guest]

Can anyone tell if the Northern Lights have been active this year? Do they tend to be more active at different times of the year? How about times of night. I'll be in the pine river area in a couple weeks,I'm hopeing to catch a glimpse.
Jack

[musky hunter]

The northern lights may show up at any time. They are related to sun spot activity, so the earth's seasons do not impact them too much. I think they get bright about a day or so after a sunspot. Since you're probably not going to know when the sun gets a spot, all I can tell you is to look and hope.

[Guest]

HUNTER ,
Thanks for your reply. I know this is a year of increased sun spot activity, so I'm hopeing we'll see some lights in Sept.
Jack

[Guest]

Sun spots are pretty much always there. The Northern Lights most commonly appear a day or two after one of them erupts. www.SpaceWeather.com tracks these eruptions (and lots of other stuff) and gives predictions of when Aurorae might be seen.

Spydie

[This message has been edited by spydie (edited 08-26-2002).]

[Guest]

Spidey,
That space site you gave me is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!
Jack

[Guest]

Do the lights tend to happen during the middle of the night ? Or unpredictabely from dusk to dawn ? Thanks for the info, the only Northern Lights we have here in Chicago is when there's gunfire on the North Side. Part of the enjoyment I get from viewing the forum
is it connects me to a better
place.

Jack

[Polar Bear]

Jack, 3 weeks ago last thursday I was on the end of a dock near Remer (Little Thunder Lake) and the lights were the best I'd ever seen. They started around 10:30 an peaked around midnite. They started on the eastern horizon and spread all the way to the western. They converged overhead and where they all met there was an effect like strange, swirling lightning flashes, it was great.

That night the lights were all white, I've seen some shades of pink and even green one time. There's nothing better than the northern lights, listening to the loons and enjoying an adult beverage on the end of a dock. Polar Bear

[Guest]

Polar Bear,
Out on Whitefish at night watchin' the lights, and catchin' some walleyes. Pretty peaceful and serene I would think,ooh yeah.

Jack

[Surface Tension]

Between me an Carl Sagen we know a lot about northern lights. Dosent it take like a billon light years for the light to hit the earth? So wouldnt you be looking at light that happened a long time ago? How would you predict sunspots and northern lights. I thought it was from charged dust particals at the north pole that made the lights. I wish my college was still around to ask him. I know he would say BILLONS and BILLONS anyway.
Spent three years in Alaska, the lights are spectacular there. Multicolorerd, bright and dance all over.
Anybody else out there that likes to spot satellites like I do on a clear night? Looks like a star but moves.

[Guest]

Surface Tension,
If you go to that space weather site listed above it's informative.As I recall the sun is 93 million miles away,and the speed of light is like 186,000 ft./sec., or something like that. Light years relates to the time and distance of far off stars, and galaxys,--way too deep for me. I enjoy natural phenomenon and sattelites too .
Jack

[Norsky]

We stayed out all night about a week and a half ago out on Mille Lacs. We noticed the northern lights around 3 am and they last until about about 5 am. The varied in intensity and were mostly a pale green color that danced across part of the sky. Very cool!!!

[the squirrel]

Make sure its a new moon phase! A full moon and you will be pretty much out of luck! 1/4 moon phases are still dark enuff to view.... its great in the northwoods out of city lights!

[Guest]

We'll be on Whitefish the week of Sept14-21 I think the full moon is the 21st.Catching fish is a bonus , it's all the rest of this stuff that keeps us city boys searching,and coming back each year. Not to mention the kindness that's always bestowed upon us by everyone we meet there.I wish my wife could tolerate the 10 hr. drive, then I'de be able to go more often

[Guest]

It takes only about 8 to 8.5 minutes for the light from the sun to reach earth. Remember, we are only the third planet from the sun. I think winter is probably the best time to see the northern lights. They have more color to them it seems. It must have something to do with the cold air. If you have never seen the northern lights, it is one of the most beautiful things in nature. Definately get up north and check it out.

------------------
Adam Johnson
www.adamjohnsonfishing.com

[Guest]

Adam,
I'm gonna' have some preeety green city boys with me , who haven't had much of an opportunity to spend time in the woods. I hope the good Lord provides us with an opportunty to view the lights.
Jack

[Valv]

Have you noticed the Solar Wind Speed on the web site ?

410.5km/sec... !!!

Can you imagine what kind of "walleye chop" you can find up there...

Anyway, I've seen the lights for the first time last summer trolling at night on Pike Bay.....I've never seen something so amazing.

[This message has been edited by Valv (edited 08-29-2002).]

[Guest]

it would be pretty tough to light up a smoke and hold yoour rod at the same time in that breeze.Not to mention keeping you hair combed for fishin' pictures.

[ladylikestofish]

I think the best advice for finding Northern Lights is just keep checking the sky. So many people live their lives without ever looking up... sometimes the light shows are incredible!

[Guest]

I agree, some folks are so burdened,they haven't seen up for a long time. God has blessed me with a good life, and family, all the rest is a bonus.