1460-1550 was a period of reduced solar activity (meaning no, or hardly any aurora borealis). In fact, looking at the data I have, there looks to be, at most, 2 per decade between 1460-1550. Solar activity actually dropped off at around 1200, so pretty much any year between 1200-1550, the chances of seeing aurorae were, eh, not good. The data I have indicates less than 10 aurorae per decade between 1200-1550.
During periods of low solar activity, aurora borealis would have only been viewable really close to the magnetic north pole, so whilst somebody in Svalbard might have seen aurora borealis, there's basically no chance at all of aurora borealis being visible in England during that time frame.
That's from a timeline reporting all kinds of astronomical phenomena sighted in England, from comets to meteorites.
If you have a link for that, I would be most grateful. It might come in handy for other stories.
As for the broadband, well, it's here already. But the sheer hassle of changing over... I keep thinking "some other year" -- my parents' broadband is still giving them grief after seven months. Even the local library hasn't made the changeover.
Yeah, I was one of the first five people in my town to get broadband and it's still not reliable four years later! Still more reliable that dial-up that kept getting disrupted by the neighbour's electric fence, though.
Yeah, unfortunately, even if your character had the good fortune to be out in Epping forest/Surrey/wherever during the one aurorae that decade, he still wouldn't be able to see it, because aurorae are only (rarely) visible that far South during a period of high solar activity. With low solar activity, I don't think anyone south of Thurso would see anything at all.
During periods of low solar activity, aurora borealis would have only been viewable really close to the magnetic north pole, so whilst somebody in Svalbard might have seen aurora borealis, there's basically no chance at all of aurora borealis being visible in England during that time frame.
source.
eta: I am not a physicist, I just did a project on aurora borealis for school a while ago, so I may not be totally accurate on a lot of this stuff.
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ETA: And I'm also in country Australia - my broadband isn't fast, but I love it so much! May it come to your area soon!
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If you have a link for that, I would be most grateful. It might come in handy for other stories.
As for the broadband, well, it's here already. But the sheer hassle of changing over... I keep thinking "some other year" -- my parents' broadband is still giving them grief after seven months. Even the local library hasn't made the changeover.
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Yeah, I was one of the first five people in my town to get broadband and it's still not reliable four years later! Still more reliable that dial-up that kept getting disrupted by the neighbour's electric fence, though.
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Crikey. Maybe I'll get broadband some other decade. I love my nineteenth-century copper-wire technology - slow though it is, it rarely lets me down.
That website is quite unnerving - a lot of narrow escapes there. Thank-you!
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