Night landscapes

I was out at dusk training for an upcoming marathon when I noticed the a big auroral display filling the sky. Pillars of reds and green were clearly visible, despite the glow form the setting sun. With 5k still to run, I set off as fast as I could to get back home and grab the...

I’d been keeping my eyes glued to the aurora forecast eagerly awaiting the arrival of multiple X class CME’s from giant sunspot group AR 3664. The animation below shows the development of the gigantic structure as it made it’s way across the Sun’s surface....

Comets have been seen as bad omens and harbingers of doom throughout much of history. Our understanding of the universe has certainly improved since then, but with the 2020 global pandemic turning out the way is has, perhaps the old tales have some merit after all. Captured at...

Recently I was lucky enough to take a winter break on the Dominican Republic on the Caribbean island of La Española. At just 18 degrees above the equator, this is by far the furthest south I’d ever ventured. On the last night of the trip we decided to stay up until 5am to...

Spring is aurora season, and just before midnight last night a display of the northern lights lit up the sky. Taking a test shot from the window confirmed the alert from my phone app, so I headed out the door. The display had already started to subside once I’d defrosted...

Orion rises over the jagged slopes of Helvellyn in the Lake District. The figure standing in silhouette on England’s third highest mountain is dwarfed by the constellation. Taken from the lower slopes of Striding Edge, a friend wilfully volunteered to stand on the edge of a...

Last night a solar storm hit Earth producing one of the strongest auroras of this solar cycle. Unfortunately for me, a misty evening drowned out much of the show. All but for 20 minutes when the silent display flared up strongly enough for me to catch a glimpse…

The Summer Triangle rises above Twistleton Scars in the Yorkshire Dales. The Milky Way bisects the scene with the great Andromeda galaxy visible in the top left of shot.

The Aurora Borealis is a pretty rare sight from England. The last time I saw one was back in January 2005! Last night however, everything came together and the illusive northern lights showed up once more. I know from experience that it pays to check if any auroras are forecast...