Aurora over Norfolk

I've wanted to see the aurora for years but living in the UK, it isn't one of those things we get treated to that often. Yes, we get crap weather and lots of cloud ... but also we're a little too far south so we don't often get the full strength of the aurora when it does happen.

I recently downloaded an app on my phone called AuroraWatch just so I could track and receive alerts when there may be an opportunity to see something. Activity was high on the 10th October and so I spent the evening hanging out the bedroom window to watch. Unfortunately there wasn't much to be seen...well it seems that was the case with the naked eye.

The sky looked a little odd in that there was a green tinge. It was like seeing light pollution over a larger town or city. The app on my phone mentioned the aurora may be visible with the naked eye or by camera so I thought I'd have a go using my phone.

The images below have been tinkered with in terms of some levels (contrast, removing noise and a little boost of saturation). I was quite amazed how differently the lens saw what was going on compared with the naked eye.

These were taken near the east Norfolk coast.

What I was shocked by is how the colours changed over time. I'm not too sure why that came as a surprise as I've seem things on TV about them. I think it's a little different when you experience first hand though (even if by camera).