Catherine Munro
One of the nicest things about #Shetland winters is when the mirrie dancers appear. Mirr means blur in Shetland #dialect. Tonight as I watched the #AuroraBorealis , it really did appear like dancing figures, the speed of their movement obscuring their edges as they merged with the darkness #nature #Scotland #aurora
Nov 28, 2022 at 10:55pmWeb
Show threadNigel HesterNov 28, 2022
@CatherineMunro Absolutely beautiful, Catherine.
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@holncoteNH thank you!
Show threadGwendalNov 28, 2022
@CatherineMunro love the term "mirrie dancer"! Great shot too
Show thread🇨🇦Love Canada🇨🇦Nov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro stunning!!
Show threadDave2WNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro@gloom!writing.exchange It's also nice to walk around in the gloaming wondering will the sun ever come back! 😂
Show threadDougNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro nice, I like pictures of the northern lights
Show threadUnprecedented 2023Nov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro How lucky are you to see this!! Tnx for sharing.
Show threadSiunNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Thank you so much for sharing this … such beauty.
Show threadSkye B.Nov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro What is the temperature there now?
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@skyeb about 7 degrees. Our temperature range is pretty narrow, averaging between 5-15 degrees.
Show threadSkye B.Dec 3, 2022
@CatherineMunro I truly want to see the Aurora Borealis one day but that's just way too cold for me. Glad you have that opportunity. Have a great weekend!!
Show threadShealaDec 3, 2022
@CatherineMunro @skyeb it only gets down to 7 Celsius? That's not too bad. I assumed it got much colder than that, like it does in Canada.
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 4, 2022
@Shealavb it can go below 0 but not often. Although we are at 60 degrees north, Shetland is a small group archipelago and nowhere is more than 3 miles from the sea. Gulf stream stops it getting very cold. The wind chill can make it feel a lot colder though!
Show threadSkye B.Dec 5, 2022
@Shealavb @CatherineMunro You're right. That's not bad. It's only 44 degrees F. That's actually doable. I can't thank you enough for that.
Show threadAdamas NemesisNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Awesome.
Show threadMzLizNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro I am jealous. Tried very hard to see them in Iceland in 2020, but didn't. Still on my bucket list.
Show threadJon VernonNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Wonderful.
Show threadMike TorrNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Very nice image! I'm 57 and seeing the aurora is *still* on my bucket list. I moved to Aberdeenshire last year but haven't managed it yet.
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@macronencer it can be tricky to see in Aberdeenshire as quite far south but there should hopefully be a few strong enough aurora shows that it can be seen south. If you sign up for alerts and then you might catch it. The good thing is there are a lot of dark places in Aberdeenshire to go
Show threadMike TorrDec 1, 2022
@CatherineMunro Oddly enough, this red bar happened last night! I jumped in my car and drove to Portsoy, which is about 40 minutes from here, but sadly the amber bar had appeared by the time I got there and it was also fairly cloudy. I'll keep trying.
Show threadadminNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro
I have rarely been so envious as now lol
We don't even have "autumn" in this country, let alone anything of such breathtaking magnificence
Show threadErskine 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Nov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Gorgeous and such a delight to be able to see this.
Show threadDidiNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro gorgeous!
Show threadOriolNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Amazing photo of NorthernLights. I’m following you waiting for a new pictures!😃
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@Oriol thank you!
Show threadDaveNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro I’m so jealous. I lived in Thurso for 5 years, Aberdeen for 12 and I’ve holidayed in Iceland twice. I’ve never seen the northern lights. ☹️
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@david_orr I only saw it once when I lived in Aberdeen. The Scottish mainland is a lot further south than Shetland so it is seen more rarely
Show threadMark ThomasNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro That's lovely. I've never seen the #aurora before. Must remedy that before I shuffle off this mortal coil lol
Show threadAurelia BrunetNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro I will go to Sweden soon to see them.
I didn't think they appeared in Scotland.
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@aureliabrunet it is rare in mainland Scotland but Shetland is at 60 degrees north so we see it fairly often
Show threadSueNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro
Stunning
Show threadclancygavin420Nov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Stunning! My last big adventure awaits, I will someday see the Northern Lights. #nature #aurora
Show threadHannahCrazyhawkNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro So beautiful 😍!
Show threadLaura J. TafeNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro
So breathtaking!
Show threadLesliebNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro hadn’t heard ‘married dancers’ before but love it! Some great photos of them on here lately.
Show threadClare SavoryNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro Just beautiful! 🥰
Show threadAbbie RhoadNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro I want to be there
Show threadJenWNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro
That's amazing!
Show threadgavincooksNov 29, 2022

@CatherineMunro

That's a brilliant phrase ... "Mirrie Dancers". Apologies - but I'n borrowing that one 😂

Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@aLeedscyclist in Orkney they are 'merry dancers' and for a long time I thought Shetland was the same and the accent made it sound different. But in Shetland they are Mirr. I do think they are merry too!
Show threadcliffwalker 👣 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇪🇺Nov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro 🤩 🤩 🤩
Show threadJulie CunninghamNov 29, 2022
@CatherineMunro So beautiful!
Show threadPixelNov 30, 2022

@CatherineMunro growing up in the highlands I saw these a fair bit. None better than this though, although I do remember them being so strong one night that we saw them a bit like this, vivid green and red dancing across a bright summer evening sky.

Never seen the like since.

Bizarrely my mum is, and my uncle was, terrified of them. My uncle told me once that when he was on the rigs he would put his back up against anything resembling a wall. My mum just shoots indoors. :) Both Thurso born.

Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@pixel that is so interesting. I hear it quite often from folk that they had relatives who were unsettling by the lights and I think there is quite a lot of northern folklore that suggest the aurora can interact with or influence people
Show threadPixelDec 1, 2022

@CatherineMunro yep. Their reaction has always fascinated me and I’ve always felt it must come from stories told to them as kids back in a time when artificial light outside at night wasn’t a given.

Now we seek out the dark to see the aurora, back then the dark was at your doorstep and must have been scary in itself to a kid.

Even I have foggy memories of that. My first three years (70s) were in Glengolly just outside Thurso. And the family house was the beacon of safety once dark fell.

Show threadMorticia AddamsNov 30, 2022
@CatherineMunro Unst is the home of my father’s ancestors, from his father backwards. My dad was born In Glasgow as I assume his father left the Shetlands for work. I’m 64, and next summer I’m finally visiting the home of my ancestors. Can’t wait!! #ShetlandIslands #Scotland #Ancestors
Show threadCatherine MunroDec 1, 2022
@seonaidrose that is fantastic that you are getting to visit! They have a really good family history society in Lerwick and most areas have heritage groups that you can contact so it might be worth chatting to folk in the Unst one before your trip.
Show threadMorticia AddamsDec 1, 2022
@CatherineMunro Thanks for that advice, I’ll see what I can do 🙂
Show threadJon Davies✅Nov 30, 2022
@CatherineMunro You are so lucky to see that for real.
Show threadvinylgoddess1Dec 1, 2022
@CatherineMunro someday I will see them.
Show threadShealaDec 2, 2022
@CatherineMunro that's amazing! I can't imagine living that far north since where I live is too cold for me. But those skies would almost make it worth it.
Show threadBarbara TateDec 4, 2022
@CatherineMunro
Here in sunny Buckinghamshire I get the alerts and drop in on the Shetland webcams. A poor second best!
https://www.shetlandwebcams.com/
Shetland Webcams

The most northerly network of live webcams in the UK, located in key viewing points throughout Shetland. Watch Shetland life and nature as it happens.