Shetland’s Mirrie Dancers

The “Mirrie Dancers” are the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.

Last night they came out for a fling – beautiful.  I was warned by friends they were in the offing so I went in and out of the house to see them starting up, set up the camera and snapped away.  It was very cold outside but well worth losing parts of my anatomy to frostbite.

This is our derelict disused privy (it would’ve had a roof on when used!).  Imagine popping to the loo and seeing this going on in the sky.

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It came and went, with some cloud around and so I turned around and took photos of the stars about my house.

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Now this photo looks pretty standard but I notice there are two shooting stars (I think) in there as well.

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Here is a close-up.  Are they shooting stars?

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This is not Mordor but the red glow is the oil and liquefied gas terminal at Sullom Voe.

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Anyway, enjoy the light display.  I am always blown away when it happens.  It is, dare I use this word, “awesome” and just think, it is all going on silently at my back door.  I am very lucky.

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3 thoughts on “Shetland’s Mirrie Dancers

  1. Maddi

    Absolutely beautiful photos! Aurora is on my list of things to see 🙂 Is this the best time of year to see them?

    Maddi
    lifeasmaddi.wordpress.com

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  2. Nick

    Unlikely that they’re both shooting stars, as they tend to ‘radiate’ from a fixed point in the sky (basically the direction the Earth is moving in), so won’t be in different directions that close together. One or both of them is probably a satellite.

    Lovely pics, really like the silhouttes!

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