Aurora season begins, NLC season ends

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 31, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

Aurora season is now fully underway around the Arctic circle.  With the end of northern summer approaching, dancing green lights are beaming through the deepening polar twilight on a regular basis. Unlike lower latitudes, the Arctic does not require a full-fledged geomagnetic storm for aurora sightings. 

Check the latest images on the front page of http://spaceweather.com

Meanwhile, another polar phenomenon is on the wane: noctilucent clouds (NLCs).  Data from NASA's AIM spacecraft suggest that the northern summer season for NLCs ended on or about August 26th.  The "noctilucent daisy" shown on http://spaceweather.com will probably remain blank until November, when NLC activity shifts to the southern hemisphere.  NLCs are a summertime phenomenon and they switch back and forth between the hemispheres accordingly.  Stay tuned for more electric blue ... in a few months.