Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
For any questions about reproduction of designs or weaving of these tartans, please contact the registrant directly or via this website.
Aurora Watching Nights
"🎵 I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky"
~ Northern Sky, Nick Drake, 1971
Astronomical tartan alert! Inspired by the colours of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), this dark tartan includes beautiful streaks of colour with just a shimmer of white for the stars behind this electrical rainbow!
Skywatchers and stargazers alike have been anticipating this week's arrival of a stream of fast solar wind from a large coronal hole on the Sun! Buffeting Earth’s magnetic field, this will energize charged particles high in the atmosphere and creating strong aurora activity tonight.
This geomagnetic disturbance has pushed the northern lights farther south than usual — in North America, auroras could be seen well into the northern United States, with NOAA forecasts suggesting displays might reach states along and slightly below the U.S.–Canada border under the right conditions.
In the United Kingdom, the strongest auroras are most likely in northern Scotland and other high-latitude parts of northern Europe, though under active conditions some glow might be glimpsed lower on the northern horizon where skies are dark and clear.
Against a black background, this tartan illustrates the most pronounced colours of the aurora as different elements in the atmosphere are energized. Green comes from oxygen and forms the broad luminous bands that stretch across the sky. Purples and blues, sparked by nitrogen, appear like accent stripes when the storm intensifies, while behind all, the twinkling stars shine brightly illuminating this ancient and awesome show! Though once thought to augur upheaval or epochal changes, today's auroras still inspire an unsettling awe in their unusual and undulating beauty! 🖤 💜 💚 🤍 ✨ ✨ ✨ 🔭
Throughout history, auroras have been among the most striking and unsettling sights in the sky, often appearing far beyond their usual polar homes during periods of intense solar activity. Long before their scientific explanation, these shimmering lights were recorded with awe, fear, and poetic imagination. Ancient observers frequently described them as “burning skies,” “armies in the heavens,” or vast red clouds glowing after sunset, especially when strong auroras reached lower latitudes where they were rarely seen.
Some of the earliest known written records come from East Asia. Chinese court astronomers carefully noted unusual celestial phenomena as early as 2000 years ago, describing red, white, or green vapors moving across the night sky. These observations were not merely curiosities; they were often interpreted as omens connected to the fate of emperors or the stability of the state. Because these records were systematic and dated, they are now invaluable to modern scientists studying long-term solar activity.
In Europe, medieval chronicles frequently mention strange lights in the heavens. Monks writing in England, Ireland, and continental Europe recorded blood-red skies, fiery banners, or “dragons of light” twisting overhead, particularly during times of famine, plague, or political upheaval. One famous account from the late 8th century describes red crosses and glowing forms in the sky, events that were widely taken as divine warnings. Such descriptions align closely with what we now recognize as intense auroral displays during powerful geomagnetic storms.
The most dramatic aurora in modern recorded history occurred in 1859 during what is now known as the Carrington Event. Auroras were seen as far south as the Caribbean, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. Contemporary reports describe people reading newspapers outdoors at night by the glow of the sky, while telegraph systems sparked, failed, or operated without batteries. This event firmly linked auroras to solar activity and electricity, marking a turning point from superstition to scientific understanding.
For more on upcoming events, click the photograph of a beautiful aurora over Aboyne by photographer John Thomson.