Report of Aurora Observation

[anonymous]

Dear Sirs,

I am forwarding this to you of a sighting yesterday morning.

The sighting was from about half way between Ballan and Gordon (near
Ballarat) at an elevation of 530 m.  My home address features extremely
clear skies, usually, and I always look for aurora's having spotted a really
fantastic one last year (which I reported to you).  I would have sent it
yesterday (from work where I had your contact details) but the car's clutch
cable broke! 

Message, originally to a colleague at work, follows ...

Rick,

There was an aurora this morning visible quite brightly from 6:00 (or
earlier?) to about 6:15.  It faded out by about 6:20.  I rang up the ABC and
they announced it, but they actually had to wait for the early morning
edition of AM, then the weather and by the time they actually did announce
it ~6:18, it had largely become very difficult to see.  It was a little bit
more visible at about 6:20 - 6:22, but then disappeared in the increasing
ambient light.  I would have called you, but I was outside looking at it and
I haven't dialled in your 'phone no's into my mobile.

It wasn't very pretty at all; really just moving sheets of white to the
slightest tinge of pink with varying brightness filaments in them which
moved about, within the sheets, too.  Covered the sky from virtually the
horizon (mostly) to about 30
degrees elevation.  In the South, but wandered perhaps 15 to 20 degrees more
or less about South I suppose, perhaps a little more South East.  Sometimes
there was just 1 sheet and sometimes perhaps three sheets were visible, but
I could not see any of the classic folds like I have seen many years ago and
of aurora in pictures.

Regards,

Peter  

> Dr Peter Leigh-Jones, Principal Engineer
> Invetech Operations Pty Ltd
> 495 Blackburn Rd
> Mt Waverley, Victoria
> AUSTRALIA 3149
> Telephone:   <SNIP>
> 
> 
>