Old Space Weather: sightings of aurorae and sunspots

[jil]

USRC Bear

18 May 1892
Midnight to 12.25: Aurora Borealis visible
On passage from Port Townsend to Unalaska. 8pm previous day Lat 52° 04’ 01”N, Long 142° 06’ 45”W

1 Sept 1892
Midnight to 4am:
First hour aurora borealis visible
Arctic Ocean. 8pm previous day Lat 67° 32’N, Long 167° 23’W

[Michael]

22 August 1870
Charleston Navy Yard, Boston.

Midnight to 4 AM

Brilliant Aurora Borealis

[Michael]

5 September 1870
Noon position: 42^o 40'N^o 68 6'W

Midnight to 4 AM

Brilliant display of Northern Lights all through the watch.

[Michael]

24 September 1870
Noon : Lat 36° 41' 00"N, Long 30° 59' 00"W

8 PM to Midnight

Very brilliant Northern Lights beautifully tinged with red.

[Michael]

25 September 1870
Noon : Lat 37° 37' 00"N, Long 30° 59' 00"W

Midnight to 4 AM

Aurora Borealis very brilliant to Nd.

[Michael]

24 October 1870
Lisbon, Portugal

Brilliant display of Aurora Borealis coloring the whole northern heavens with a brilliant red.

This was under the 4PM to 8 PM heading, but there was no heading for 8 PM to Midnight.

[jules]

Sorry for the long radio silence but I've finally popped in to update all the aurora sightings. Many thanks for keeping on posting them - the information is still very useful. The (somewhat large!) spreadsheet I have of all the OW aurora / sunspot sightings is turning out to be a very useful resource. I've been contacted several times by researchers asking if there is evidence of any geomagnetic activity on a certain date, for example, and there are enough data there to write several more papers! So your time and diligence are still very much appreciated - thanks!

[Michael]

I'm so glad we're able to help!

[Randi]

A super solar storm rocked Earth in 1872. They’re more common than you think.
February 4 and 5.

Currently our only ship with logs for February 1872 is Shenandoah

[jules]

And would you know the Shenendoah did report a "brilliant aurora" on Feb 4 1872!

[Michael]

09 December 1865
Charleston, South Carolina

At 9:20, the sky, (at that time covered with thick clouds & having every appearance of rain), suddenly became illuminated with an intense light which shone brilliantly during 3 seconds so that objects on the horizon could be discerned as distinctly as at noonday. Three minutes after, a very heavy report was heard which seemed to be going from West to East. Suppose it to be the falling of some meteoric substance.