Astronomy, Photography and Weather
March 28, 2024, 12:22:36 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: IAA lecture programme continues alternate Wednesdays from September - an excellent programme of lectures- Queens University Belfast - Bell Lecture Theatre. Also keep an eye out for the Summer Events
 
  Home Help Search Gallery Staff List Login Register  

Night Lightning Over Scotland from NI Coast - July 14th

Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Night Lightning Over Scotland from NI Coast - July 14th  (Read 314 times)
martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5182


Maghera, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« on: July 16, 2010, 06:22:23 pm »

Thought I would post these just for fun. On Wed night Conor and I drove to the N coast and set up our gear on a cliff overlooking the pitch black Sea hoping to see night time storms over the coast of Scotland. We were rewarded with a very large single cell which produced 5 intense flashes of lightning, we could see the cell light up like a light bulb for a fraction of a sec before darkness returned which was amazing, even could make out i-c bolts. Lightning was bright blue and white. The cells where too far away for proper images but we took exposures anyway for a bit of fun, I caught two. These are 18mm, then a cropped version of each. If that cell had been closer it would have been an amazing photo opp!, that storm was probably 30-40 miles away.







Report Spam   Logged

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

paulster78
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 752


Omagh, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2010, 06:44:29 pm »

Ah these are great Martin, the first image is really cool with the rocks by the coast and the lights. You can easily make out the bolt at 18mm, well exposed too  Smiley
Report Spam   Logged

martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5182


Maghera, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2010, 06:49:35 pm »

Thanks Paul, first time I have seen night lightning since March 2009. Felt great, it was a thrilling show even though there was only 5 bolts, we had to make up for a bust chase earlier so this made us feel a lot better. Back at 03.00.  Smiley
Report Spam   Logged

JohnC
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1631

Gloucester : UK


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2010, 09:45:47 pm »

Well rewarded, Matin and great to be by the ocean at night too-you both sort of do night shifts   Smiley
Report Spam   Logged
martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5182


Maghera, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2010, 10:11:02 pm »

Thanks John - lol yes, night shifts everynight, for me it must be for the last 12 years or more  Smiley
Report Spam   Logged

Big Dipper
Events
Hero Member
*
Posts: 1247


Oxford, UK


View Profile WWW
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2010, 01:49:12 am »

Wowzers! Beautifully caught Martin. Wish I'd been there, too as the fact that the storm was over my 'homeland' would have made it an extra special occurrence as far as I'd be concerned.
Report Spam   Logged

Remember:- If all else fails, read the Instruction Manual! Grin
 


Andy
martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5182


Maghera, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2010, 03:49:12 am »

Thanks very much Andy  Smiley, your homeland has been producing the goods this year, there certainly has been good thunderstorms there, several times this year I wished I was in Scotland. While I was watching that lightning I was thinking of the great show and the terrifying thunder experienced by those who lived near storm, unaware that two guys from the NI coast were taking images of it from across the water  Smiley
Report Spam   Logged

rjgjr
Guest
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2010, 04:17:23 am »

Fantastic shots Martin, what lenght exposure times were used? Great feeling of emptiness with all that darkness over the sea.
Report Spam   Logged
martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5182


Maghera, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2010, 01:18:56 pm »

Thanks very much Richard, they are all 18mm ISO400..

The bright image is 123 sec's

Dark image is 53 sec's.

I was taking exposures between 1 and 5 min's, the latter was still fairly dark due to the low ambient light from there and cloud cover.
Report Spam   Logged

markt
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1416

West Midlands, UK


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2010, 09:07:31 pm »

Brilliant shots!  Cool
Report Spam   Logged

martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5182


Maghera, N. Ireland


View Profile WWW
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2010, 11:22:12 pm »

Thanks Mark  Smiley
Report Spam   Logged



Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum

Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy