spotted faint aurora (Blue Mountains)

While walking from the Dietmar and Phil's pods, north, toward the Observing Pad, at around 11:00 PM, I spotted a large, light grey blob thing over the house! Could it be? Could I have finally spotted aurora borealis? It was very faint, dim enough that it could have been mistaken for a cloud. But I was pretty sure it was aurora.

Proof came in the form of digital photos. Both Katrina and Thomas shot long exposure photos from the Observing Pad and the green colour emerged. w00t! It was Thomas's very first sighting.

Photo by Thomas Bernard. ISO 1600, 30 seconds, f/4.5. Zoomed between 20 and 30mm.

I rushed to the house and told the peeps. Fortunately Lora was still awake. They headed to the deck. Tony liked it. Confirmed! Sharmin stepped outside, "Green!" She must have super vision. Or Terminator parts.

And then went to the GBO to let Ralph and others know. Ian wasn't happy! He was trying to image in the north... Party pooper.

It gradually faded...

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Katrina had tweeted the sighting. And started getting tons of hits. But some of them were due to the use of the word aurora. We lamented the mass killing in the town of Aurora. Crazy human.

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At 12:48, I spotted more aurora. Over the house again, from the Observing Pad. It was brighter at times. Others could see it but I did not detect motion.

Yes! Finally!