Report of Aurora observation

[anonymous]

Location: Clyde, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, latitude 45deg, 
12min South

When: Wednesday June 18, ca. 8.30 - 10 pm, NZ Standard Time (0830 - 1000 
hrs, 18 June 2003 UTC)

Phenomena: First noticed as a band of greyish light about 30 deg above the 
southern horizon, with a few diffuse bright points and beams.  Beams 
became stronger and extended up to ca. 60 deg.  The intensity of the glow 
increased somewhat, and a dull reddish glow developed towards the 
southwest quadrant, extending up to ca. 60 deg.  Bright spots increased 
and greenish-grey beams greatly increased in density, in places with a 
corrugated effect.  The longest beams (about 30% by number) extended to 
slightly past zenith, and then the show reached crescendo, with shimmering 
pulses of light shifting laterally from east to west, across the 
corrugated beams within ca. 35 deg of horizon, and then this passed into a 
period where diffuse sheet-like pulses of grey light came sweeping from 
south to about 15 deg past zenith, with a frequency of 2 per second to 
about one per 3 seconds.  Each pulse would pass from horizon to zenith 
within about one second. The display then tailed off over about 15 
minutes, returning to just the greyish white glow within 30 deg of the 
southern horizon.

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Website: gns.cri.nz
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