Auroras and Nacreous clouds

Last week especially on Sept 11th and Sept 13th there was a great display of Aurora Australis - "Southern Lights". There was a sun spot that was very active and produced some solar particle storms which lit up our skies at night. We are losing our dark nights fast now with an extended dawn and dusk. It will not be long before the sun does not set at all and the sun will just circle in the sky. The sun circles counter clockwise in the sky during the day - just the opposite of when we lived in Alaska when it circled clockwise.

On the 19th of September there were some Nacreous clouds visible at dusk. These clouds (also referred to as "Mother of Pearl clouds") form extremely high in the atmosphere about 9-16 miles high. It has to be very cold and the sun has to be very low on the horizon. When this happens these special clouds glow with irridescent colors and are quite spectacular. I had almost given up on seeing them as once the sun comes up a bit more they cannot be seen. They are another treat for the eyes in Antarctica!

Best wishes to all my family and friends!

Bob