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Re: (meteorobs) NLC displays on this spring?
> No problem, Tom. Thanks for sharing the NLC info with us! And nice
> Web site, by the way. This seems like the perfect season for amateur
> meteoricists to liven up their observing nights with any interesting
> sky phenomena they can find! Some questions you don't naswer in your
> pages that might be of particular interest to meteorobs readers: are
> NLCs equally prevalent in morning & evening twilights?
Yes, more or less. I often find that the post-midnight development
of the NLC is more complex and extensive though.
> Also, what is the minimum latitude at which an observer has any
> sort of chance of seeing NLCs?
NLC's are most often seen between 50-60 degrees latitude
(approximately). However, confirmed sightings have been made from
latitudes as low as 46 degrees.
> And how bright (relatively) can they become?
Brightness can be difficult to quantify; it's really a measure of
contrast with the background twilight, which, itself varies in
brightness over the course of a night. Some reports suggest that NLC
can be bright enough to illuminate the surrounding landscape.
However, I've never seen it as bright as this.
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Tom McEwan. Glengarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland
Lat 55.45'N Long 04.40W
E-Mail: tmcewan@kersland.u-netdot com
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