Tonight, I have seen the first aurora in my life : at 22h20 local time, a faint green light in the north-east suddenly turned into a bright red curtain with orange borders, stretching out into the zenith. Immensly beautifull and very rare here in Belgium; I tried to capture it on my digicam, but the cam isn't sensitive enough. What a great way to end my birthday :)
Update : an hour later, at 23h10, again a green-white glow in the north, not as spectacular as the previous one, but still impressive.
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If you want to see the
If you want to see the auroral activity on Earth (to know if there's any chance on northern light in your region), then visit the NOAA Space Environment Center .
BBC has some more coverage
BBC has some more coverage about the scientific facts behind auroras :
Why are they different colours?
The colour of the aurora depends on which atom is struck and the altitude:
Green - oxygen, up to 150 miles
Red - oxygen, above 150 miles
Blue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles
Purple/violet - nitrogen, above 60 miles