Northen Lights

Right here:- https://flyawaysimulation.com/downloads.html

just type in Northern Lights into the file library for FS2004

Hi cheekytrolly
This is a screenshot of the northern lights taken over Scotland.

The northern lights are already based in the game. Here is a little bit of information about the northern lights and where to see them and in what parts of the world as well.

Where can we see the northern lights?
The Northern Lights, as the name suggests, are especially related to the polar regions. They occur most frequently in a belt of radius 2500 km centered on the magnetic north pole. This so-called auroral zone extends over northern Scandinavia, Island, the southern tip of Greenland and continuing over northern Canada, Alaska and along the northern coast of Siberia. The coasts of the Norwegian counties of Troms and Finnmark lay where occurrence is greatest, making northern Norway, due to its ease of access and mild winter climate, an attractive destination for people interested in observing this atmospheric phenomenon. The Northern Lights can be seen from regions both north and south of the auroral zone, but the likelihood decreases with distance. There is a corresponding auroral zone around the southern magnetic pole, but these “Southern Lights” are largely only seen from Antarctica and the surrounding ocean. Of the populated regions in the southern hemisphere, the Southern Lights, may only be glimpsed from Tasmania and southern New Zealand. The Northern and Southern Lights occur simultaneously and are almost mirror images of each other.

Hope this helps you out cheekytrolly

kool kool thanks guys!

I thought they where already included in the game so I wont bother downloading the addon, thanks anyway for the link though.

I'll try some flights from northern Norway, but is there a specific time or date to do it?

Also, has anyone ever spotted the 'Southen Lighs' before on fs2004?

Any time after dark really. Not to sure about date as I've seen them in the sim in the summer. I think there programmed in to display all year round. Just stay in around the northern countrys i.e. greenland, Iceland, Northern Canada, Alaska etc etc.

The southern lights I haven't I don't really fly in the part of the world

Well true to my word, I set off on a flight in Northern Norway to discover the mysterious northern lights for myself. I started at ‘Frames’ airport (ENNK) and took off at 7:30pm, in European wintertime. The sky was pitch black, apart from the numerous stars twinkerling overhead, and I had set the weather to 'All Clear' with unlimited visibility without a cloud in sight. I took off in the Beechcraft Kingair and headed north, and followed the fjord I could just make out below me. I got up to about 6,000 feet put on autopilot and switched to an outside view, looking around with my POV hat searching for the phenomena. I couldn't see it anyway, so I took off autopilot and pulled the joystick back. Suddenly at 9,000 feet, the sky in front of me light up in many fantastic shades of colours. It looked great and I was just positioning my camera angle for a screenshot when they disappeared. I carried on heading north for about another 50 seconds and it happened again- yet this time appearing slightly higher. I climbed up to 11,000 feet and it was absolutely amazing- the northern lights where appearing all over the place in two separate stands, one below me a 9/10,000 feet and one way above me. I turned west and followed another fjord climbing to 17,000 feet as the lights kept on flashing in front of me. (Whatever way I turned they always happened bang in front of the nose. I followed the lights for 20 or so minutes then decided to attempt a landing at night time, something I don't do very often. I picked out the neared airport on the GPS which was 'Andoya’ (ENAU) and circled around the island it was on for a good 10 minutes till I was low enough to land. I parked up at the gate and searched the sky in vain for the lights I had just seen but I saw nothing!

If you are reading this and want to see the lights, here are some tips that will guarantee a sighting:

Set your ‘Special Effects Detail’ to ‘High’ in your scenery settings
Take the flight I did, ENNK to ENAU and fly higher than 9,000 feet
Take off at night time, try 7:30 onwards and do it in wintertime (February in the Northern Hemisphere)
Have your weather set to All Clear

Thanks for your info Liono, I wouldn’t have had all this fun if it wasn’t for your help! Now I'm off to find the southern lights...

PS: Try flying around Northern Norway in day time too, its beeeeeautiful!

Your welcome, here to help in anyway possible 😀

I took a flight up out of Milford Sound (South Island, NZ) with the same conditions as my previous flight, and headed up to 11,000 feet but saw nothing. I then slewed it down to Antartica but still saw nothing. Once over the ice I went up to 20,000 feet and the back down to 5,000 feet and still saw nothing.

Stupid Microsoft!

There should be the same effects appearing here as appear in the Northern Hemisphere around the north pole but Microsoft proberly just forgot all about it because hardly anyone lives down here - lol

But it's true, our version are called the 'Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights' are are visable all over New Zelealand and Souther Australia. Before I took the flight, I did a little research and found heaps of info and photos at these sites if anyone is interetsed:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~Sbevans/Aurora_Sun/aursun.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0104/S00041.htm

Anyway, if anyone actually does find the Southern Lights on fs2004- post here please!

hi CT,

Well i took your original flight but in a Mooney Bravo and went up as far as 9000 feet but sadly no northern lights.

On the plus side though, it also got me to perform a nighttime landing which i rarely do, and it was one of my best landings in a while!!!

So, hats off to you, you got me out of my comfort zone!!

Micah 😉

Check your pm.

I may have missed something. You're flying over New Zealand looking for the northern lights? Wouldn't that be the southern lights? 🙄

I believe aurora are possible near either polar region, but I suspect they are more prevalent in the northern hemisphere. Of course, where microsoft chooses to put them is anyone's guess.

Antother link.

https://flyawaysimulation.com/images/10/microsoft-flight-simulator-2004/

I may have missed something. You're flying over New Zealand looking for the northern lights?

No! Read what I wrote above:

our version are called the 'Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights' are are visable all over New Zelealand and Southern Australia.

And now what Liono wrote:

There is a corresponding auroral zone around the southern magnetic pole, but these “Southern Lights” are largely only seen from Antarctica and the surrounding ocean. Of the populated regions in the southern hemisphere, the Southern Lights, may only be glimpsed from Tasmania and southern New Zealand. The Northern and Southern Lights occur simultaneously and are almost mirror images of each other.

(South is the oposite to North :wink🙂

I suspect they are more prevalent in the northern hemisphere

Why is that? Didn't you see Lionos posting saying " Lights occur simultaneously and are almost mirror images of each other" Prepaps the area round the North Northern Hemisphere is more populated than the South Southern Hemipshere so there are more sightings but it dosen't mean thier frequency alters. Over the city of 'Invercargill, in New Zealand, it's commen to see about 10 'Aurora Australis' a month.

Another question- in real life, the 'Aurora' or Northern/Southern lights are visable from the ground, so how come they aren't visbale from the ground on fs2004 with the clearest conditions?

Thanks

cheekytrolly wrote:

Another question- in real life, the 'Aurora' or Northern/Southern lights are visable from the ground, so how come they aren't visbale from the ground on fs2004 with the clearest conditions?

Thanks

Maybe Micro$oft couldn't be bothered 😉

Assuming the flow from solar output is uniform thru both polar regions, then aurora should be equally visible, north and south. It is probably true that there is a lower population density where the southern lights may be viewed.

Of course,where I am, I suspect 1 in 10 folks have heard of the northern lights, but I'd bet only 1 in 1000 have heard of the southern lights.

Come to think of it, if it weren't for Peter Jackson, a lot of folks in these parts would know nothing of New Zealand. 😳

Come to think of it, if it weren't for Peter Jackson, a lot of folks in these parts would know nothing of New Zealand.

Richard Pearse was the first man ever to fly an airplane on 31st March 1903 (THATS RIGHT, BEFORE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS)
Maurice Wilkins discovered the structure of DNA in 1952
Jean Battern was the first person in the world to fly from England to New Zealand (longest solo flight ever at that time)
Sir Edmund Hilary was the first person to conquer Mt Everest
Kate Sheppered made New Zealand the first country in the world to allow women the right to vote
Russel Crowe is a well known highly paid and highly talented actor
Sir Peter Blake won the Americas Cup sailing championship for NZ (which we still hold)
Michael Campell is the world champion golfer ranked #1 in the world
All Blacks Rugby Team are the world champion rugby team ranked #1 in the world
The Silver Ferms are the world champion netball team ranked #1 in the world

One thing all the people listed above have in commen are that they are New Zealanders. Come to think of it, although NZ may be a very small country with a tiny population of just 4 million, it's people have made some outstanding achiventsfor a country that has only existed 200 years. (And although I'm defending your statement about NZ Crash G, I'm actually British but have been living in kiwiland for nearly 3 years, lol)

Plus, lots more films have been made in NZ apart from King Kong and the LOTR trilogy, like Whale Rider, Vertical Limet, Without A Paddle, The Last Samurai, The Worlds Fastest Indian, Nania...etc...etc

cheekytrolly,

i tried the northern lights again, and apparently according to my fs9, they dont exist!!

Here is what i get, (sorry or the size of the pic but any smaller and you wouldn't see anything!)

Micah,

All I can suggest it that you head due north (360 degrees) in your flight (starting from ENNK) and keep changing your altitude, climb up high to say 15,000, come back down low to 5,000. You are bound to see them I swear- and make sure your special effects slider is on HIGH!

Cheers

i will persevere tonight!! report back later!

Micah 😉

cheekytrolly,

ok, now im not so fussed at seeing the Northern lights because they look good, but because i want to prove they are there!!

I just spent the last 20mins in the air and got nought!!

I take of from ENNK and fly pretty straight (353degrees) and end up out over loads of water. is this correct??

Micah

Yep- thats the same reason I searched for them, just to prove they actualy exsist in the virtual world- lol!

I can't belive you are not seeing them, all you have to do is head north where there is lots of sea and fjords and land everywhere. Keep your camera view on the outside of the plane so you can check all the sky around you.

Again, make sure:

Your ‘Special Effects Detail’ is set to ‘High’ in your scenery settings
You vary your alitude from 5,000 to 20,000 feet
You are flying at nightime (7:30pm onwards)
Do it in wintertime (I set the date to February)
Have your weather set to All Clear
+Try turning your 'Terrain Detail' to land and water prehaps?

I fely your same frustration when I first started looking for them, but eventually found them after climbing up to a higher alitude than what I had been cruising at.

What aircraft are you using, I was using the default Beechcraft Kingair.

Hope this helps

well im still not sure that i have seen the light, as it were, but i did get these amazing shots of the moon on the water >

they have to be in large size to fully appreciate them

Micah 😉

Nice shots Micah!
Do you have some addon for that?

i just flew to belfast and seen them i think they look pathetic though to be hounest