aurora is progress

davidpretorius · #1 24-08-2005, 10:37 AM

hi guys, gotta run, heart is pumping, there is an aurora in progress down here in tassie. i will se what the toucam can capture and get back to you

Orion · #2 24-08-2005, 10:54 AM

What did you get!, what did you get!

davidpretorius · #3 24-08-2005, 11:41 AM

i am one lucky fella

i have tried 2 sec exposure with modded toucam, 10 secs, 20 seconds.

here is one i grabbed just to put up on forum, will obviously be sorting through 50 to 100 images

no real colours, white with the naked eye, but the whole southern sky from say 0 to 45 degress and 90 to 120 degress wide at times

the toucam got some images as green though

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #4 24-08-2005, 11:42 AM

Dave, is it still happening or is it all over?

Great shot!!

davidpretorius · #5 24-08-2005, 11:43 AM

still going ken!

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #6 24-08-2005, 11:47 AM

I can't see anything coz we is clouded in AGAIN!!!!

Get some good shots for us! Video would be nice.

davidpretorius · #7 24-08-2005, 12:33 PM

All finished now!

Didn't get video, as was mainly playing with longer exposure. When i read Ken's video request, ran back outside, but to no avail

Here is another one. A lot of the shots with auto set up on toucam and then using the long exposure didn't come out well.

Here is another one, sorry about the pixels

robin · #8 24-08-2005, 01:18 PM

Hi David, i snapped this from Warrnambool between the cloudbreaks.Its a quick snap of 30 secs & iso 400 @ f5.6 thru a 20mm lens.
I reckon its the aurora...what do you think?
Quickly processed with NEAT IMAGE & Photoshop6

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...de/Aurora1.jpg

davidpretorius · #9 24-08-2005, 01:44 PM

yes robin, i reckon you caught it!

Now did i say "all finished now". wife arrived home and i said, did you see the aurora, gee it was good earlier tonight, but still there might be some still there! She said no, so we go outside and the sky was literally on fire!!

Brother drives up as i am busily getting the toucam set up and i start trying to get video, no good really, back to longer exposure. Whilst I am setting up laptop and camera, my brother says, "can you get this on camera?" i said "what?" looking up from laptop screen

This is the only way i know how to describe it:

look at the southern celestial pole. 180 degrees in RA around is red and white and touches of green pillars of light. To about 70 degrees dec. Then things got interesting. We are now talking 200+ degrees wide and 120 degrees over and behind my head!!!!

then waves bursts of light run up the pillars. it seems to come to a point like a big teardrop. the sides curving up from east and west and then coming to that point say 120 degrees from south over my head ie north!!!

no way long exposure could catch the sub second changes.

literally hang on for the ride.

I do not think I shall see such a spectacle again and i am rather sad that my favourite little toucam was not up to the job so i could share with you all!

asimov (John) · #10 24-08-2005, 01:53 PM

WOW Mate!!! I wish I was there to see that! Pretty speccy!

RAJAH235 · #11 24-08-2005, 01:57 PM

Nice work Davo. What can you say but, SPECTACULAR! Wish we there.

L.

davidpretorius · #12 24-08-2005, 02:10 PM

yes mate, i keep ducking out just to see if it will fire up again!

once in a lifetime. it is funny what you think of, i remember thinking what is asimovs and ken's mobile numbers?

iceman (Mike) · #13 24-08-2005, 08:23 PM

Sometimes (only sometimes) I wished I lived down there, to see these aurora.

Nice shots with the ToUcam Dave (especially the last one), but you really need a digicam with long exposure to capture the beauty without the noise and hotpixels.

Sounds like a heart pumping night.

gaa_ian (Ian) · #14 24-08-2005, 08:52 PM

Good on you guys ..
Makes me want to visit the deep south too ...

Robin ... you should submit that shot to spaceweather.com they have a great Aurora gallery, would be good to see a classic Aussie shot in there complete with Verandah.

[1ponders] (Paul) · #15 24-08-2005, 09:43 PM

congratualtions David.

Its sounds like one of those events that you tell over and over to your grandkids and great grand kids one day. I'm very envious. Myabe one day if I move to NZ