"Northern Lights"
Cheryl Singhal
How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
close a date as I can calculate.
Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
frame a litte?
Thanks.
* OLX 2.1 TD * Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com
Dan Speegle
Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com (Cheryl Singhal) wrote:
>How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
>Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
>close a date as I can calculate.
>Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
>frame a litte?
>Thanks.
On December 14, 1862, tens of thousands of men observed a majestic
display of the Northern Lights at Fredericksburg, VA. This was the
evening after the Battle of Fredericksburg, and both Union and
Confederate letters and memoirs are filled with their wonder and fear
at such an unusual event.
This is certainly one of the best documented ocurrances of the
Northern Lights.
Dan Speegle
BROK...@aol.com
New Jersey may not be considered the South but I recall in 1940 we saw them
in Passaic, NJ (30 miles from NYC). People ran to the roof top to see it.
Almost panic. They thought it was the end of the world coming.
Just a note to let you know it was not common place.
Leonard.
mary stewart kyritsis
I was living in Westchester County NY in the '40s, and I recall my mother making my
brother and I get dressed to go outside to see Northern Lights. She was all excited
having heard of them from her father who grew up in Canada, and we were certainly
impressed -- probably more for having been rooted out of bed than anything else.
Maybe it was the same display that was seen in Passaic, NJ!
regards, Mary
mary stewart kyritsis <mkyr...@hol.gr>
Stephen Lee Snyder Reston, VA
On very rare occasions during periods of intense solar activity,
they can appear as far south as the mid-Atlantic states. I personally
have seen them about 7-10? years ago while camping out in the
Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia. The periods
of maximum solar activity occurs at 11 year intervals.
Steve Snyder
ssn...@usgs.gov
Margaret J. Olson
Northern lights show up at periods of greatest sunspot activity - which
occurs in cycles. I've no idea whether we are in a high or low period
now, but I'll guess it's not high.
You need to be in a dark place as far south as Rhode Island and Indiana
where I remember seeing the Aurora Borealis (ie - Northern Lights) as a
child - and even as an adult, though I became an adult long before some
of you were children :-)
As I recall, radio transmissions are affected by the same sunspot
activity - though maybe technology since the '40s with satellite
transmissions and all may have helped that problem.
I know there are real astronomers reading this who could give expert
answers. I'm only related by birth and marriage to real astronomers.
Margaret Olson
mjo...@prairienet.org (Margaret J. Olson)
IFlow...@aol.com
I would think that on this one, you'd have to study the history of high
electro-magnetism which is the cause of the "moving curtains of the northern
skies". I quote from my encyclopedia:
"""The aurora is caused by rays or electrically charged particles shot from
the sun, which are diverted toward the earth's magnetic poles. The particles
collide with gases in the earth's atmosphere and change their electric
charge. They glow much like the charged particles that cause the glow of a
fluorescent tube. The use of optical instrucments has proved that this light
is always present in nearly every part of the sky. But usually the aurora is
too faint to be seen except in far northern or far southern regions.
Beautiful auroral displays occasionally occur in the United States and in
other parts of the temperate zones. The color most commonly seen is green.
When the light is especially strong, pale or even deep red is also visible.
A display of the aurora usually begins before midnight as a glow far
down in the northeastern sky. Soon curved bands of light appear above the
glow, and beams begin to shoot upward toward the middle of the sky. The
beams keep changing their positions and their brilliance from second to
second. At its full intensity, the aurora covers the entire sky with
shifting curtains of light like draperies waving in the wind. These lights
seldom occur less than 50 miles above the earth, and are sometimes as much as
600 miles high.
The light display of the aurora is greatest at times of magnetic storms.
Displays are most frequent around the time of greatest sunspot activity.
(See Magnetic Storm; Sunspots)""" end quote
I would suggest that you contact a university physics department or
local planetarium to ask when were the dates of incidences of the highest
magnetism (that would have caused the curtains to appear in the northern
night skies). Evidently you have some family event that took place, with
this natural occurance being observed in letters or diary. I wish you good
luck in your research.
Happy tree climbing!
John Hudgins
Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com (Cheryl Singhal) wrote:
>
>How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>
>According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
>Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
>close a date as I can calculate.
>
>Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
>frame a litte?
Cheryl:
I can say only that my memories of my childhood in Baltimore,
MD, confirm your family lore. I was born in 1935 and at some
time around the age of 5 or 6, I can recall once looking out the
bedroom window at night and seeing these mysterious lights in the
northern sky. The next morning my grandmother told me, in
response to my question regarding them, that they were the
"northern lights." Decades passed before I again saw them while
flying over the Arctic while in the Air Force. Seen from the
Arctic, the "northern lights" can be quite spectacular! I have
never seen them further south than Baltimore, which is roughly at
the same latitude as the middle of West Virginia, even though I
have spent considerable time flying at night in more southern
latitudes. As fleeting as they can be, I count myself fortunate
to have seen one of nature's wonders upon the occasions that I
have.
In summation, my childhood experience confirms the probability
that the "northern lights" could be seen from eastern West
Virginia...but you will have to cut me a little slack in
providing you with an exact year since my early years in
Baltimore now seem like a millennium ago!
John
jhud...@sky.net (John Hudgins)
Dick Bukrey
John Hudgins wrote:
>
> Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com (Cheryl Singhal) wrote:
>
> >
> >How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
> >
> >According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
> >Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
> >close a date as I can calculate.
> >
> >Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
> >frame a litte?
>
> Cheryl:
>
> I can say only that my memories of my childhood in Baltimore,
> MD, confirm your family lore. I was born in 1935 and at some
> time around the age of 5 or 6, I can recall once looking out the
> bedroom window at night and seeing these mysterious lights in the
> northern sky. The next morning my grandmother told me, in
> response to my question regarding them, that they were the
> "northern lights."
[a bit off the topic of genealogy, but fascinating...]
You were 5 or 6 in the early war years (I was born in '41). It is
possible that you had the advantage of air-raid black-outs that would
have made the auroras more visible?
--
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dick Bukrey rbu...@luc.edu
Physics Department, Loyola University Chicago (voice) 773 508-3537
http://www.luc.edu/depts/physics/ (fax) -3534
David B. Sailors
Cheryl Singhal wrote:
>
> How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>
> According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
> Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
> close a date as I can calculate.
>
> Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
> frame a litte?
>
> Thanks.
>
> * OLX 2.1 TD * Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com
In the years 1957-59 the peak of the largestsolar cycle on record
occurred. Somewhere within those years, it is possible that the
Northern Lights were visible in the mountains of Eastern West Virginia.
It requires an area of low background light. A mountain region wpould
be possible. I believe I saw a red Northern Light display in the
mountains in Wyoming in the summer of 1957.
David B. Sailors
The peak of the last solar cycle occurred 7-10 years ago so everything
was right to see them.
John Follesdal
Cheryl Singhal wrote:
>
> How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>
> According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
> Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
> close a date as I can calculate.
>
> Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
> frame a litte?
>
> Thanks.
>
> * OLX 2.1 TD * Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com
Perhaps a researcher at the Northern Lights planetarium could answer you
question:
http://www.uit.no/npt/homepage-npt.en.html
Happy hunting :-)
John Follesdal
<------------------------------------------------>
Visit my web page on Norwegian-American genealogy:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5100
John Follesdal e-mail: foll...@webbnet.com
Barbara L Hill
Cheryl Singhal (Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com) wrote:
: How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
My stepfather told me he saw the Northern Lights when he lived in Fresno,
California. They didn't wave and dance, though; that far south, they were
only a spectacular color in the night sky. I would guess it was in the
1920s or 1930s. (He's dead now so I can't ask him.)
bh...@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Barbara L Hill)
Scrub...@aol.com
I have been following this thread for a couple of days. Thanks for making me
aware that I viewed quite often something that many have never seen. We just
took it for granted in west central Iowa (no city lights to compete with the
show there) in the '50s when I was growing up. They were even brighter from
our Minnesota home. But I never have thought much about not seeing the
lights from our other homes, further south than Iowa. If one has not ever
experienced them, take a trip to Canada, where they are truly spectacular.
Ruth
Rebecca Rector
I would suggest to the original poster that if they are really interested
in this, to do some astronomy research. Perhaps try some web sites that
have been mentioned, but also some weather data sites; or call one of the
weather tracking stations in WV (can probably find these through NOAA),
and see if they have the actual records for some of the years in
question. These records are public data.
--
Rebecca Rector
rbi...@capital.net
See my web page at http://www.capital.net/users/rbinfo
Cheryl Singhal
Thanks, to all of you who replied to this query. I really appreciate
everyone's time and effort.
I would thank you each separately, but I was innundated!
For a synopsis, it appears that in the 1930s there was some unusual (but
not unique) sightings even further south than my WV location. For the
first time, my GM's story of being drawn into the yard one evening by a
strange light, and watching the display for quite a long time, can be
confirmed.
One of my respondants supplied the URL for a research facility, and I'll
be in touch with them to see if I can get a more exact date, so I can
then pull local newspaper accounts.
It's not "genealogy" but it sure does liven up that section of Family
History.
Thanks again, everyone; and thanks, Mods, for letting the traffic
through.
Cheryl
FRANK H. WHITTEN
>>
>> Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com (Cheryl Singhal) wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>> >
I was born in Baltimore in 1932 and sometime around 1940 I remember the display
referred to above. I can remember some of the people in the neighborhood being
quite scared (my Mother included). If I remember correctly, this was about
the time of the Orsen Welles radio broadcast regarding H.G. WELLES' "War 0f
the Worlds.
Frank Whitten
--
P
fran...@aztec.asu.edu (FRANK H. WHITTEN)
Gary Brown
In January 1996 I think it was, they were visible here in Newport News, Va
(Tidewater Area). I remember it well because of the stir it caused for some
people. And, it brought back childhood memories. I am originally from
Minneapolis Minnesota.
Garyb
Cheryl Singhal <Cheryl_...@cpafug.blkcat.com> wrote in article
<5ghlmd$i...@bl-5.rootsweb.com>...
>
> How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>
> According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
> Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
> close a date as I can calculate.
>
> Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
> frame a litte?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
Viole...@aol.com
In a message dated 97-03-26 23:17:04 EST, GENM...@rootsweb.com writes:
<< How far south have these EVER been recorded as visible?
>
> According to some family lore, these were visible in the mountains of
> Eastern West Virginia in this century. After 1930, before 1940, is as
> close a date as I can calculate.
>
> Can anyone confirm/refute the possibility? And/or narrow down the time
> frame a litte?
>>
Violet, here--
I saw them in Washington , D. C. area either just before or just after the
beginning of W W II.