Aurora Borealis 11 McCarthy

automator · Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:32 pm

This topic is dedicated to: Aurora Borealis 11 McCarthy

piomba · Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:42 pm

looking forward to seeing it in person. nice work dan.

haven · Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:48 pm

This is pretty good. Is that a wooly mammoth?

ceevee · Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:56 pm

New Neil series?

Maybe "The Icy Sky At Night" is next.

bolk · Tue Dec 13, 2011 4:13 pm

This doesn't really show much insight into how the auroras occur. The only think that makes it look like an aurora is the colour.

It looks more like there's a rave festival going on behind the mountains

piomba · Tue Dec 13, 2011 4:18 pm

haven wrote:This is pretty good. Is that a woolly mammoth?

I believe so:

mpimp77 · Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:07 pm

Dig the Mammoth...Thumbs up

tourist504 · Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:53 pm

At this time of year, at this time of day, localized entirely within your kitchen.....

ceevee · Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:57 pm

HisBobness · Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:47 pm

I too, am diggin' the woolly. Within the next 20-50 years, expect this extinct giant to be returned to Earth. Nice work Dan-o.

bosephus · Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:54 pm

tourist504 wrote:At this time of year, at this time of day, localized entirely within your kitchen.....

tweetick · Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:04 pm

tourist504 wrote:At this time of year, at this time of day, localized entirely within your kitchen.....

Can I see it?

kushmeja · Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:22 pm

bolk wrote:This doesn't really show much insight into how the auroras occur. The only think that makes it look like an aurora is the colour.

It looks more like there's a rave festival going on behind the mountains

Not true - the Aurora Borealis looks different depending on the amount of energetic particles and the charge of the magnetic field, and most importantly where you are viewing them from. They can look drastically different even on the same night in different regions of the far north. See Wikipedia for examples, and you'll see there are many different variations of both color and form - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29

cargoflipper · Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:48 pm

First McCarthy in a long while. Looking forward to getting this on the wall.

bolk · Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:57 pm

kushmeja wrote:
bolk wrote:This doesn't really show much insight into how the auroras occur. The only think that makes it look like an aurora is the colour.

It looks more like there's a rave festival going on behind the mountains
Not true - the Aurora Borealis looks different depending on the amount of energetic particles and the charge of the magnetic field, and most importantly where you are viewing them from. They can look drastically different even on the same night in different regions of the far north. See Wikipedia for examples, and you'll see there are many different variations of both color and form - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29

I don't need wikipedia for examples. I live in an area where aurora borealis occurs often. I've seen huge auroras 50+ times in my life.

I challenge you to show this print to people who lives in an area that makes them familiar with the auroras, and ask them if this is a good representation of it. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority would say that it isn't. It is pretty obvious what McCarthy is trying to do here, everybody can see it's supposed to be an aurora, but the movement of the lights shown in his print is very poor IMO. It doesn't look like he has either seen them in real life or has a proper understanding of how they occur (charged particles hitting the atmosphere, not lightsticks being tossed around in the air).

When that's been said, if anyone has the chance to see them in real life, then they should take the opportunity! It's a breathtaking experience that never gets dull!