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Aurora Gallery back to spaceweather.com |
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Unless otherwise stated, all images are copyrighted by the photographers. Summary: December is often a poor month for auroras, because during the weeks around the solstice the interplanetary magnetic field tends to point north--a condition which suppresses geomagnetic storms. Nevertheless, sky watchers have seen some beautiful displays this month, all triggered by solar wind gusts from coronal holes. |
| Photographer, Location | Images | Comments | |
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Todd and Brenda
Throop,
Palmer, Alaska, USA Dec. 26-27 |
#1, #2, #3, #4 | Photo details: f1.7, 10 second exposure, 200 ASA |
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Calvin Hall,
near Palmer, Alaska, USA Dec. 27 |
#1, #2, #3, more | C. Hall: "Even after all the aurora displays I have had the pleasure of seeing and photographing, I am still awed by them!" |
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Chris Schur,
Payson, Arizona, USA Dec. 26 |
#1, more | C. Schur: "[When Earth entered the solar wind stream] we were rewarded with a cherry red glow to the north. The display lasted only a short period of time, and was the first time we had seen a visible display with the Kp so low, 6.3 at the peak of the storm, which lasted about 30 minutes. " |
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Carol Lakomiak,
Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA Dec. 27 |
#1, #2, #3, #4 | C. Lakomiak: "This display took me totally by surprise while I was out with my 'scope. Not wanting to miss anything, I decided to be a mere spectator for the most intense portion and then went to get the camera. Glad I did, too.. it was stunning to say the least. " |
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Lyndon
Anderson, 15 miles north of Bismarck, North Dakota, USA Dec. 27 |
#1, #2, more | L. Anderson: "Photo #2 was of an aurora breakup--by far the most stunning display I have ever seen of the Northern Lights (in my limited three years of viewing). The breakup was quick, lasting only a couple of minutes. I could visually see purple at the bottom edges of the display, which the film picked up. " |
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Robert Siciliano,
Anchorage and near Palmer, Alaska, USA Dec. 26-27 |
#1, #2, #3, more | R. Siciliano: "The display was quite spectaular. At one point I counted nine curtains all snaking through the night sky. The intensity of the aurora was so great that I could read the LCD on my camera without any additional light. " |
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Dominic Cantin,
St-Michel de Bellechasse, east of Quebec city, Canada Dec. 27 |
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, more | Photo details: 16mm fisheye @ f 2.8, 25 sec, Fuji Superia 800 |
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Jean Chiasson,
St-Michel de Bellechasse,east of Quebec city, Canada Dec. 27 |
#1, #2, #3, more | Photo details : FUJI 800 X-TRA, 25 sec. exposure, one at 17 mm - f/3.5 and the others at 28 mm. - f/2.8. |
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Mike Clemens,
Wasilla, Alaska, USA Dec. 27 |
#1 | Photo details: EOS D60 camera, 30 seconds at 20mm f/3.5, |
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Josh Smick,
Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada Dec. 26 |
#1 | J. Smick: "I'm a tourist from South Carolina currently visiting Fort St. James, British Columbia. The aurora activity is spectacular right now [on Dec. 26th]!" |
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Philippe Moussette,
Cap-Rouge, Québec, Canada Dec. 26 |
#1, more | Photo details: Coolpix 995 digital camera, 400 ASA, 20 second exposure. |
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John Russell,
near Nome, Alaska, USA Dec. 23 |
#1, #2, #3, more | J. Russell: "For all of about 1 minute, this rivaled some of the best auroras I've seen! The 3/4 full moon only added to the flavor." Photo details: Nikkor 28mm/f1.4, and Superia 800 at 1.6 to 4 seconds. |
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Chuck Johnson,
Cleary Summit Bed & Breakfast, Alaska, USA Dec. 23 |
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 | Photo details: Olympus digital
C3040, 400 ISO, 5-8 seconds, f1.8 lens. "The
Moon
was
very bright," says Johnson. |
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Andre Clay,
near Harding Lake, Alaska, USA Dec. 21 |
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5 | A. Clay: "Following the advice on SpaceWeather.com, I had the camera ready to go when the lights popped out at 0400Z or 1900 local time here--one of the earliest times seeing the lights that I can recall. The full moon really helped light up the trees."Photo details: Sony DSC-F707 digital camera, 8 sec exposure, ISO 200. |
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Chuck
Johnson,
Cleary Summit Bed & Breakfast, Alaska, USA Dec. 19 |
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5 | Gusts of solar wind flowing from a coronal
hole sparked geomagnetic activity on Dec. 19th. "The moon was extremely bright
on the new snow but the auroras were very strong," says Chuck Johnson
of Alaska, who captured this picture at 1 o'clock in the morning. |
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Robert Siciliano,
Palmer, Alaska, USA Dec. 6-7 |
#1, #2, #3, more | It looks like an erupting volcano, but it's really the Aurora Borealis. The clouds in these pictures highlight the beauty of the Northern Lights. |
