From what I have read so far it seems as though one of the major breakthroughs this new game engine has accomplished is the realism of the weather effects. As such I feel that the addition of the aurora borealis would be wonderful. As Skyrim is to the north of Cyrodil why not have the majestic "northern lights" implemented? Of course it would probably be a rare occurrence to see, however it would add another touch of personality to the game and really bring it to life. I am extremely excited for the release and intend to buy it right away and I applaud Bethesda in advance as I am sure they will once again deliver a jaw dropping, eye stunning, well rounded game that can only truly be described as Epic.

Should it be added yes or no?
Please Vote

This is Tamriel, not Earth, plus you forgot to include the poll...

By defenition, you couldn't have the 'Aurora' Borealis in Skyrim because this is a phoenomena specific to Earth and not Nirn. However that does not mean that they cant implement some other Aurora. Which would be a nice effect

Both poll options are... questions, which makes little sense. I say add something like it. It wouldn't make sense, because the same Earth-specific phoenomena does not occur, but it sure looks cool as hell.

But,
There's an atmosphere and a working compass, both of which suggest a magnetoshpere. But there are also auroras on Mars due to magnetism in the crust :shrug:
http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/12/12_mars.shtml

As for the poll, nah, leave it out. EVERYTHING, doesn't need to be in the game. :nope:

You could have an aurora, but not an Aurora Borealis.

Aurorae are not specific to Earth. They have been spotted on Jupiter and Saturn as well.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100929191651.htm

http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/captions/jupiter/aurora.htm

Also, "Borealis", like "Aurora", is latin. "Borealis" means "northern". Northern Lights. Since Skyrim is northward...

Interesting idea.

Assuming Bethesda decides Tamriel has an Aurora Borealis like Earth, of course.

Don't care one way or the other whether it's added or not.

I think it would be perfect for the setting. It would add to the sense of mystery and wonder of the in-game world.

This. It's fine if they add something like it with a different name and an awesome explanation, but eh, I'd rather not.

I wonder what the in-game explanation of aurorae would be? Wisps of Aetherius getting caught in the upper regions of the Mundus?

if it's done well (and not too late), it should be added; it'd be a nice touch to walk in the snow by night while being able to observe the aurora

and for those saying "it's not earth"...well, whatever it is; i've seen clouds, trees and very human looking creatures with both arms and legs...what other planet you could get cheese and blondes? unless it's planet mushroom of course :spotted owl:

Soooo

Those saying that you can't have have it, or partially have it, is that just because of mythos and nomenclature? Aurora (Roman Godess) and Borealis (Greek for north wind)? Isn't that a bit extreme...kind of like saying one can't use the ward Katana because it's Japanese? Aurora is the common term for the phenomanae, right? I'm rather confuzzled where folks are coming from, please explain.

Unless it is stated otherwise, one should assume the physics in Nirn are the same as Earth.

If Nirn has a magnetic field that is disturbed by solar storms then yes it should have Auroras.

It's stated otherwise.

I know that the compass had the cardinal directions, but did it actually have a needle pointing north? I noticed the needles pointing to quest locations, but I don't recall seeing any sort of marker pointing north...

Correct me if im wrong but my guess is half the people don't quite know what there talking about. First mistake is believing that the Aurora Borealis is exclusive to Earth which it is not, second, thinking it can't be on the planet Nirn because its not Earth, to clear it all up...
"Auroras are caused by radiation from the sun, called solar wind, interacting with Earth's magnetic field. Since the magnetic field is strongest near the poles, that's the region where most auroras occur. Solar charged particles from the sun, which are normally radiated into space, sometimes get caught in the Earths magnetic field as they come into the upper atmosphere they react with other gases and produce coloured lights"http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_the_aurora_borealis
In other words this could happen on just about any planet. Borealis is a word that is used while referring to something found in the extreme northern parts of the northern hemisphere. The word is a derivative of the Greek name for the God of the North Wind, which in Latin is written as Boreas. The God was said to have snakes for feet or alternately winged feet. http://www.blurtit.com/q955584.html

what it all boils down too is that Skyrim is to the north so it makes sense regardless of the planet and it looks pretty cool

Where, exactly?

Just having a cool looking sky will be enough. It wouldn't bother me if they had an aurora though.


off-topic: They should have realistic looking refracted light during/after rainstorms and by waterfalls (by this i mean realistic rainbows, but that sounded kinda fruity).

The problem with that logic is that Solstheim was even further north yet there were no northern lights.

Eh, something "anchored" the compass. It doesn't need to be a needle, right? Some compasses have a rotating disk with a stationary bearing line. No moving needle. They work just like the compass in OB. Well, excapt pointing out mines, caves...etc.

Cars used to have them on the dashboards...ask your parents
http://trekking-hiking-outdoors.co.uk/images/Silva%2058%20Star.jpg

And the problem in that logic is that back when Morrowind was created they didn't have the game engine capable of creating the realistic effects that they can now.

I don't think that just because they didn't add it in Morrowind, they shouldn't add it in Skyrim. It's not like Lore or anything, its just the sky.

EDIT: i know the sky has its own lore probably, but if theres nothing in the lore (like in a book or something) that states that there can't be auroras, then there shouldn't be anything holding them back