Seeing Northern Lights in Germany
Under special circumstances, auroras can also be observed in Germany. The number of aurora nights strongly depends on the current solar cycle and prevailing solar activity.
The past shows that there were years with many aurora observations, for example, 2001 or 2012, and there were years with not a single aurora night (2007 - 2009).
Thanks to the work of many volunteers and the AKM, the observed aurora nights were logged and evaluated. The collected data can be found on the respective websites of Stefan Krause, Thomas Sävert and Andreas Möller.
Observation in Germany
When the Northern Lights are observed in Germany, not only the mere observation should be recorded, but also the time of occurrence, brightness, and location of observation. All factors serve to better classify the Northern Lights event and determine the strength and extent of the Northern Lights. All observations should be posted in the AKM Forum.
Time
Brightness
Aurora is perceived as varying brightness by each person. Please note exactly how you perceive the aurora (possibly also graded over time).
- photographic
only detectable with a camera - weak visual
one can vaguely perceive the aurora with the eyes - clearly visual
distinct structures and movements recognizable - very bright
brightness obscures the stars - extremely bright
brightness is extraordinary
Location
Where was the aurora seen? The local categorization is important to estimate the extent of the auroral oval. Bright auroras have already been seen as far as the Alps. However, sometimes auroras are only observable on the North or Baltic Sea coast.