The sun is quite active now. Another powerful X-class flare was reported today and could give us another round of northern lights on the night of the 9th and 10th. Last week, two X flares sent CME’s (coronal mass ejections) toward Earth. Solar storms were predicted on October 5 and 6, but that turned out to be a dud. However, the last two nights, especially last night (Oct. 7), there were unexpected displays of auroras. Last night, I happened to be out there at just the right time.
It was about 9:30 when I saw pillars showing up in the northeast sky. For the next 10-15 minutes, there was a brilliant display that worked its way across the northern sky. The Pleiades are in the lower right, where the red turns green. At the top center, one can see the Double Cluster.I stitched two frames together for this pano. I really need to get wider angle lens, something in the 14mm class. At 35mm, I can’t get an entire display in the frame. The bright star Capella can be seen a bit right and lower of the center. Looking toward the Big Dipper. I enhanced the seven stars of the Big Dipper.Brilliant reds that the camera captured could be seen with the unaided eye, just not this bright. Later I noticed a patch of nebulosity in the sky almost directly overhead, so I point the camera at it. I believe this is a SAR (stable red arc). SARs are red arcs in the night sky, with a monochromatic glow at 6300 Å that comes from atomic oxygen in the upper atmosphere. The human eye is relatively insensitive to light at this wavelength. SARs are usually so faint that no one notices when they pass overhead. Cameras catch them easily, though. I think what I could see was the green patch and I’m not sure how that came to be there. I’m going to post this on Spaceweather.com and see if I can get an expert opinion. Another pano, looking due north. As always, one can can open these images in another window for a larger view, assuming use of a computer and monitor.
4 replies on “Northern Lights Surprise”
Very beautiful pictures!
Spectacular shots, Doug. We weren’t able to see them here … but that might have been because I was sleeping.
So amazingly cool! We were clouded over the first night and the second we could not see through the city lights. I’m glad you got them and I can live vicariously through you.
Fabulous Northern Lights photos Doug! Our timing has been a little off for catching any of the latest displays, but we have friends around Montana who have seen them and got photos. The only ones that compare to yours were taken by some amigos out antelope hunting in far eastern Montana. Light pollution there is essentially nil, they got some pretty amazing photos. Anyway, great pics and I love it that you can make out individual stars and constellations amid all the undulating waves of color.
4 replies on “Northern Lights Surprise”
Very beautiful pictures!
Spectacular shots, Doug. We weren’t able to see them here … but that might have been because I was sleeping.
So amazingly cool! We were clouded over the first night and the second we could not see through the city lights. I’m glad you got them and I can live vicariously through you.
Fabulous Northern Lights photos Doug! Our timing has been a little off for catching any of the latest displays, but we have friends around Montana who have seen them and got photos. The only ones that compare to yours were taken by some amigos out antelope hunting in far eastern Montana. Light pollution there is essentially nil, they got some pretty amazing photos. Anyway, great pics and I love it that you can make out individual stars and constellations amid all the undulating waves of color.