Celestial oddities

[Hope]

Rather than side-tracking the Solar Eclipse thread, I wondered what celestial oddities everyone has seen.  When one remembers that our weather is controlled to some degree or other by celestial events, I'll accept weather oddities, as well.

Today's solar eclipse is, I think, only the 2nd I've ever experienced 'live' - I've either been other parts of the world whilst we have had them here in the UK (or vice versa), or I've been in a place where weather conditions have made watching it, impossible.

However, I have seen a 'blue moon'.  Not only was it somewhat blue in colour, it was the additional full moon of the year - and occurred sometime in 1983, pre-monsoon iirc, and I saw it whilst living in Ootacamund, a town at 7000ft in the Nilgiri Hills, in Tamil Nadu, South India.

[Andy]

I remember seeing Hale Bopp back in the 90s, but that was visible for quite a while and you could see it with the naked eye.

I watched the transit of Venus back in 2004. Didn't see the one in 2012.

As for weather, only the other day I got to see the Northern Lights for the first time. They were faint, but they'd come as far south as where I live, where there isn't much light pollution at the moment.

Last year I also saw a funnel cloud above my house. Sent some images to the Met Office for confirmation and low and behold it was. Agh!

[Anchorman]

I well remember seeing the Northern Lights eleven years ago - on the Isle of Lewis, at Calanais.
The Sky was cloudless, and the effect of green, yellow, violet and orange flame-like light dancing across the sky with the stones in the foreground was amazing.
(and not a tourist in sight....we didn't count, we were doing archaeology stuff )

[BashfulAnthony]

Who needs celestial oddities:  there are plenty on here!

[Walt Zingmatilder]

I well remember seeing the Northern Lights eleven years ago - on the Isle of Lewis, at Calanais.
The Sky was cloudless, and the effect of green, yellow, violet and orange flame-like light dancing across the sky with the stones in the foreground was amazing.
(and not a tourist in sight....we didn't count, we were doing archaeology stuff )

Saw an Aurora in Hertfordshire 1989.

[splashscuba]

Who needs celestial oddities:  there are plenty on here!

Certainly enough material for a new thread.

[Spud]

If anyone gets the chance tonight, have a look in the west around an hour after sunset. If the sky is clear enough, you may glimpse a whisker-thin lunar crescent. Mars is also low on the horizon, and venus is further up in the sky. Look forward to hearing if anyone sees it.

See http://earthsky.org/tonight/young-moon-on-april-19

[Gordon]

I well remember seeing the Northern Lights eleven years ago - on the Isle of Lewis, at Calanais.
The Sky was cloudless, and the effect of green, yellow, violet and orange flame-like light dancing across the sky with the stones in the foreground was amazing.
(and not a tourist in sight....we didn't count, we were doing archaeology stuff )

Saw an Aurora in Hertfordshire 1989.

How is she these days?

[floo]

When I was ten (1960) my father and I were in the car on the way home from church, when a round sparkling white swirling disk appeared in the sky in front of us, it hovered for a few seconds then made off at an incredible speed. We have no idea what it was, certainly not a aircraft of any kind. It was really weird.

[OH MY WORLD!]

As a kid we would get great Northern Light shows at the farm during the winters. My sister and dad would head out into the pasture to watch them. I however would not look at them. I got a very unsettled feeling the first time I saw them and it stuck with me. Well it was just a couple years ago I learned about an old legend my Cree kin folk tell about those lights.

Now Floo's story reminds me of something that happened to me. It was calving time, so at 2am I had headed out to check on the herd. just as I was getting back to the house I looked over to our land across the road. It was a cloudy winter night and the clouds were low. Under the clouds was a huge light shining down onto the snow. Didn't see a form of any sort and there was absolutely no noise. Well the hairs on my neck stood up, I started to freak out. I ran into the house up to my bedroom and looked out to that field. That light was gone.

[Owlswing]

Rather than side-tracking the Solar Eclipse thread, I wondered what celestial oddities everyone has seen.  When one remembers that our weather is controlled to some degree or other by celestial events, I'll accept weather oddities, as well.

Today's solar eclipse is, I think, only the 2nd I've ever experienced 'live' - I've either been other parts of the world whilst we have had them here in the UK (or vice versa), or I've been in a place where weather conditions have made watching it, impossible.

However, I have seen a 'blue moon'.  Not only was it somewhat blue in colour, it was the additional full moon of the year - and occurred sometime in 1983, pre-monsoon iirc, and I saw it whilst living in Ootacamund, a town at 7000ft in the Nilgiri Hills, in Tamil Nadu, South India.

A "blue moon" is a second full moon in a month, rare but more likely, as full moons are every 28 days, in all months except February.

A literally "blue moon" (the moon appearing with a tinge of blue) may occur when there are volcanic eruptions or when exceptionally large fires leave particles in the atmosphere.

[Owlswing]

Who needs celestial oddities:  there are plenty on here!

I know just who would be at the head of my list, just as, I suspect, I would be at the head of the lists of others!

[Humph Warden Bennett]

I did get a really good view of Mercury once, twelve years ago one evening in Texas.

[Spud]

Jupiter and Venus are due to converge on 30 June. Lets hope for clear skies.

[Andy]

Just a heads up people. Tonight is a good night at getting the chance to see the Northern Lights, pretty much anywhere in the UK. Look north 30mins or so after sunset (around 10ish or so) and you might be lucky enough to see something... if it isn't cloudy.

[wigginhall]

Couldn't see it, but some photos are amazing.   I saw some from Ireland that looked unreal.

http://tinyurl.com/orpquz8