NORTHERN LIGHTS: Aurora over West Seattle

9:43 PM: That’s the first photo we’ve received of tonight’s aurora – Marina Clough reports, “I got a pic of the aurora with my phone! Couldn’t see this with the naked eye; this was around 8:30. It was when the KP index was around 8!” That means a good possibility of the Northern Lights; West Seattle educator/expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen has a page full of resources, including the forecast for the next half-hour and advice on how/where to watch.

1:11 AM: Watching the maps, the aurora likelihood seems to have faded, so it was fairly fleeting, By the time Manuel got to the beach, he mostly just was able to photograph other hopeful watchers:

Questions about aurora-watching? Alice will be happy to answer them at her equinox sunset watch Sunday, 6:30 pm, uphill at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW).

Marina September 16, 2024 (10:05 pm)

Hopefully others can see more tonight!! I posted a couple of others on my instagram @marinacloughphotography

Svenry September 17, 2024 (4:57 pm)

There were a few other good surges of activity between 1:20 and 3AM. It was easy to identify with the naked eye during those peaks and the shifting movement of the pillars was evident. While absolutely lovely to see, I’d have happily traded it for clear skies after 4AM to see the Moon moving in front of Saturn (very rare for the northern hemisphere). Clouds rolled in about 15min before the event and blocked it entirely. Anyway, here are some phone photos from Alki near 63rd:1:232:082:433:04