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On April 16th 2024 a slow moving CME arrived a full day later than expected generating G1 conditions with a negative Bz component. As darkness fell on a moonlit night the stats didn't look encouraging for anything interesting, especially for inland, however reports began to appear online showing auroral beams readily visible from a wide area which seemed to defy expectations. With clear skies I got the drone in the air and was shocked to easily detect the aurora on camera, then the aurora went into outburst before midnight with red naked eye beams visible above streetlights through Auriga and Perseus. The drone captured this intense cluster of rays beautifully over the Sperrins from near the LP of Cookstown which made for a pleasant surprise. One page report with 3 images. - REPORT.
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First storm chase of 2024 which began with a bust day on March 29th then on the 30th I teamed up with Colleen Webb on Glenshane Pass to take advantage of 400 CAPE during prime heating when we hoped lift from the Sperrins would aid with cells. A bowing cluster of red cores arrived over the hills bringing our first gust front of the season while dumping a barrage of hailstones over Glenshane associated with a white core on radar. The cell then gave us several good rumbles of thunder making this our first thunderstorm intercept of Spring. A second chase to Lough Fea resulted in more rumbles making this my earliest Spring thunder since 2009. One page report with 10 images and 1 video clip. - REPORT.
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Skywatchers be on high alert for an extremely rare event which might happen in 2024, in fact, it could happen tonight! I urge you to check the constellation of Corona Borealis 'The Northern Crown' every clear night, even several times a night. Located at the SE (lower left corner) of the star Epsilon is a faint star called T Coronae Borealis or TCrB for short. This famous star, sometimes called 'The Blaze Star' is in fact a dramatic example of a reverse Nova, normally this star sits around mag +10 and can only be seen in large binoculars or small telescopes, however at periodic intervals spanning roughly 80 years this star suddenly flares in brilliance and becomes a naked eye Nova peaking at mag+2 breaking up the familiar pattern of the Northern Crown.
Previous outbursts occured during May 1866 and February 1946 with historical records highly indicative of earlier eruptions in ancient times also. The consensus is that this star is ready to erupt again at any moment. Predicitons favour Spring 2024 give or take several months but in truth no one knows for sure when it will happen, however based on previous eruptions the next one is imminent, if this happens we willl be witnessing a truly rare event and the brightest Nova in our sky since 1975.
To the naked eye a Nova looks like a new star has suddenly appeared in the sky but what we are are actually seeing is an old star going into outburst. This typically happens in binary star systems when we get a red giant with a smaller white dwarf companion orbiting around the parent star. Over time the smaller star captures material from the host star, if we could see it happening it would look like a tear drop of sellar atmosphere connecting one star to the other. Eventually a threshold is reached and a thermonuclear eruption takes place causing the white dwarf to increase in magnitude making it visible to the unaided eye.
The rise to mag +2 (Polaris) can happen extremely fast, over several hours, so it's possible the event could happen in the course of a single night where it will peak at its brightest before a slow decline sets in, so in order of having a chance of catching it in the act observers will need to be dedicated and vigilant. Corona Borealis will be well placed for the rest of the year, all one has to do is check the lower left corner with your naked eye any night the sky is clear and get in the habit of doing this often, you never know, you could be the one who witnesses this Nova as it takes to the stage, what an experience that would be.
If you are not familiar with variable stars and novae then google the subject, or better still read Leslie Peltier's Starlight Nights, he has a wonderful chapter dedicated to these stars and to his quest to see TCrB erupt, it's well worth reading. I wish you all clear skies and happy hunting. Check out the chart above from Sky & Telescope.
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On March 3rd 2024 a CME glancing blow from a filament eruption arrived delivering a G1 geomagnetic storm. At first the potential didn't look good with a slow solar wind speed however a sustained period of southerly Bz at -14 really got my attention. I almost didn't go aurora chasing however a hunch told me to make the effort to drive to the north coast to avoid advancing cloud. After filming an impressive rainbow with the drone I then drove to Benone beach. Upon arrival the aurora went into a dramatic outburst reaching G2 levels with vibrant rays reaching 70 degrees high with green and red colours visible to the naked eye. As the aurora danced I observed comet 12P/Pons-Brooks from the beach, at one stage the aurora was with the comet at same time which made for a fabulous experience. This aurora caught me completely by surprise, an exciting and photogenic event. One page report with 14 images. - REPORT.
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This report covers days two and three of the January 2024 Arctic cold spell across N. Ireland. On the 18th while in Dungiven a snow devil formed and actually impacted us while we stood outside before crossing the road while rotating through a garden then vanishing, this was followed by heavy convective snow showers over Glenshane Pass. On the 19th I discovered that much of Lough Fea was covered in ice for the first time since 2010, the view from the drone revealed beautiful abstract patterns which were fascinating to observe, nature's art. Also on show was an optics display surrounding the sun poised over the frozen lake. One page report with 12 images and 1 video clip. - REPORT.
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My first chase of the new year. On January 17th 2024 I woke to a frozen world with -4C temps and a layer of snow, trusting model guidance I drove north after sunrise to get into a better location for snow showers and instability. During a break in Garvagh a large convective snow cell approached from the coast and began making its way inland towards me. I got the drone in the air and for the next 30 min's got treated to an impressive sight of this mean cell dropping dramatic snow curtains across the Winter landscape. This was followed by a visit to the north coast where I obtained aerial footage of Binevenagh covered in snow with spectacular low cloud and fog covering the peaks complimented by a glory. This turned out to be a highly rewarding and photogenic Winter chase. One page report with 22 images and 2 video clips. - REPORT.
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Astronomy is not the only subject I'm interested in, check out my N. Ireland Storm Chasing section and view the chase reports and images which detail not only storms but other phenomena such as a moonbows, noctilucent clouds, aurora displays and exciting nature related photo shoots.
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Martin McKenna
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