Northern LIghts.

[Jim Stewart]

You guys have missed the most salient point of all this............................Evan was wrong.

Hard to believe but there it is.

Ah, yes, Evan: "often in error but never in doubt".

[darryl]

Speaking of Evan- I wonder how he's doing. Does anybody hear from him?

[J Tiers]

You guys have missed the most salient point of all this............................Evan was wrong.

Hard to believe but there it is.

Very smart people often have an interesting problem. They are so used to being correct, that they may just "assume correctness" of things which they have considered and come up with an answer on.

After all, they thought about it, and reasoned it out... and they think their reasoning is correct, so..... A family member was allegedly estimated to have an IQ of 206..... a number which essentially has no meaning, since it is so far out.

That person would argue a point even when wrong, because they had not looked at the issue from the correct viewpoint. Assumptions are everything.

BTW, most very intelligent people are pretty far up what used to be called the Asberger's scale. These days, apparently they would just be labeled "Autistic", without any gradations.

In any case, when a smart person is wrong, but thinks they are right, they are often WAY wrong. I'm not sure why, other than the issue of the wrong viewpoint and potentially wrong assumptions.

[fjk]

I think it’s called “Nobel Syndrome”

Very smart people often have an interesting problem. They are so used to being correct, that they may just "assume correctness" of things which they have considered and come up with an answer on.

After all, they thought about it, and reasoned it out... and they think their reasoning is correct, so..... A family member was allegedly estimated to have an IQ of 206..... a number which essentially has no meaning, since it is so far out.

That person would argue a point even when wrong, because they had not looked at the issue from the correct viewpoint. Assumptions are everything.

BTW, most very intelligent people are pretty far up what used to be called the Asberger's scale. These days, apparently they would just be labeled "Autistic", without any gradations.

In any case, when a smart person is wrong, but thinks they are right, they are often WAY wrong. I'm not sure why, other than the issue of the wrong viewpoint and potentially wrong assumptions.

[Dan Dubeau]

Jerry, you just described arguing with my Wife. The thought of her being wrong about something never even enters her mind as a possibility .

[Chipps]

I live in Northern Alberta and took this picture off my back deck on Monday Eve. The light show was the brightest I've seen in years!

[I make chips]

Jerry, you just described arguing with my Wife. The thought of her being wrong about something never even enters her mind as a possibility .

Dan it seems you too are married to Swmbo like me. 'She who must be obeyed.
Ok, back to the Aurora Borealis subject. Haven't seen them around here in ~35 years

[J Tiers]

They made it down to the St Louis area a number of years ago. Of course, I didn't get to see them, I forget whether it was cloudy or I was out of town, but I missed 'em.

Used to see them sometimes up in Minnesota in the '50s and '60s. Did not get the cool colors though, and never heard any sound.

[Randy]

I live in Portland, Oregon and have never seen the northern lights near here. I've tried, but never found a high point with a low northern horizon and (most importantly) dark enough skies. Even when I've heard reports from places as far south as Arizona, which really annoys me. However, here's a shot taken by a professional photographer just 20 miles from my home a few nights ago. BTW, I finally saw a good show from the deck of a ship in the Norwegian Sea near the Arctic Circle a few years ago.

[Jim Stewart]

Is that Crown Point? Amazing.

-js

[RB211]

I don't even know if Evan is still alive. He made it a point to leave us behind and cut off any information, so screw him, I hope he is doing well but he didn't seem to leave a bridge standing to return the favor of well wishes.

[Arcane]

When I was up in the Yukon at Clinton Creek, the aurora borealis at times was amazing. During a strong display it would extend from horizon to horizon and if I looked straight up at it, it extended beyond my peripheral vision on each side.

[Willy]

Yes, know what you mean.
One of the most spectacular ones in recent memory was what one can imagine it would look like when laying on your back in a stream and looking up to see the light bending from the ripples in the water flowing from one horizon to the other. Absolutely incredible.

[YukonHam]

Which does make sense... but... apparently there is more to it. Interestingly, of the members of this forum who live in BC, Evan was probably the northernmost in addition to being into astronomy, and would have had more opportunities to see them first hand. A bit too far south here, often too cloudy, and too much light pollution.

Nope - Evan wasn't even close to being the northernmost poster on this site - his place in the interior was around 52 degrees N (if I recall correctly). I'm just over 60N, and I think there are others farther north than me.

I have occasionally heard a 'hiss' that I think might be the aurora, but very rarely. I don't see the lights here in our part of the Yukon quite as much as when we were in Yellowknife, NWT. In good years there, they seemed to be so low it appeared you could reach them with a short stick. Used to worry the tourists getting off the plane (no loading bridge, just outside stairs) would get distracted and walk into a propeller.

Most amazing view is from a small(-ish) plane - twin engine turboprop at -40 or so - seems to touch the wings at times.

[RB211]

I loved seeing them from the airplane, but I rarely go far North anymore. The 777 simply doesn't need to stop in Anchorage, and I spend most of my time now flying the South Pacific. I have seen two satellites deorbit while flying in Northern Australia which is like watching a shooting star that lasts a few seconds. Pretty darn cool.