Aurora Borealis December 19th

Last Sunday was cloudy all over the UK and Ireland, it was also also my 50th birthday and had celebratyed it being out for dinner earlier that evening and a family gathering the previous evening.   Before sunset I was checking   www.sat24.com that saw that it was suprisingly clear skies to the west of me and after seeing  this I contacted Connemara Astronomy club  to be told conditions were perfect there despite the Full Moon,  I drove about 30 miles west into Connemara. The dense fog cleared after a place called "Recess" so I took a trip into the glorious Innagh Valley. I was not expecting to catch anything on camera due to the brightness of the Moon, but when I saw green on camera I knew I had bagged it. This was my third sighting this Autumn/Winter 2021.The location was fantastic but the Aurora was not very exciting with only its double arc on camera and some faint rays visible through my fujinon 7x50. Hopefully not too long to my next sighting. A great 50th birthday treat.

See my Aurora Borealis album amongst other celestial photos at www.facebook.com/newman.ronan/photos/?re...e_internal&tab=album

Ronan Newman

Images from Lough Innagh

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Great images from you, Ronan. 

Many congratulations on seeing the Aurora on your 50th birthday!
Thank you. 

Clear skies from Aubrey.  

What lovely memories you've captured from your 50th birthday Ronan. And what a beautiful place to celebrate it in... The Innagh value is stunning alright. 

Clear skies, 

Darren. 

Hello again, Ronan. 

I have located your destination when you observed and imaged the aurora. 
Lough Inagh is in County Galway. 
What a stunning location to view an aurora on your 50th birthday!
So serene and beautiful. 
I'm sure it's a place you have visited many times before. 

Clear skies from Aubrey. 

Hi Aubrey and Darren

Not exactly, it is about 40 mins out of Galway and Aurora hunting is about timing and getting there before the expansion phase happens, or sometimes does not happen at all or possibly invisible like that Sunday night due to Moonlight. But It is a place I always wanted to photograph at night, I dont and have never seen myself as a photographer I just bring a camera and hope I might get lucky.

Last time I was in Connemara for an Aurora I went down a parallel valley called the Maum Valley and caught the expansion phase while the Moon was four days from Full.

Ronan
 

Hi Ronan, 

Your shots of the Northern Lights from the Maum Valley are fantastic as the colours are are clear to see. And the composition in the second one is executed very nicely indeed.... Lovely stuff! 

Clear skies, 

Darren.