Aurora / Meteor Shower Images

Aurora / Meteor Shower Images

Update: We are finally coming out of one of the lowest Solar Minimums on record. The cycle for lows and highs of solar activity occur roughly every 11 years. We are now experiencing recent solar flares which have unleashed Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and once again we are experiencing Northern Lights that we have not seen (at least at lower latitudes) for many years. Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) from sunspots are usually responsible for the geomagnetic storms which produce the Aurora Borealis displays. You never know when a sunspot might unleash an Earth directed CME! If you would like to know what's happening with Aurora activity, refer to this site: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/

The images below of the Aurora Borealis were taken in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada (48.6 N latitude), which is located approximately halfway between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fort Frances is more isolated and has less light pollution than Caledon which was located near the light pollution of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Geomagnetic storms should also appear brighter in Fort Frances as it is about 4 degrees further north than Caledon.

Aurora Borealis - May 9, 2012 and April 23, 2012

May 9, 2012 (Kp index = 4)

April 23, 2012 (Kp index = 6)

Aurora Borealis - March 9, 2012

This geomagnetic storm was expected. Sunspot AR1429A unleashed an X5-flare which hit Earth's magnetic field on March 8, 2012. The planetary K-index reached 7, which is a strong geomagnetic storm. The display was absolutely fascinating on this cold night with temperature falling to -20C. There were fluttering curtains of light, pulsating beams and flashes passing overhead and morphing shapes in the corona overhead. The bright full moon washed out the images somewhat; the display would have been even more impressive had it been a moonless night. Images were taken with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 17-40mm zoom lens set at 17mm, f/4.

Aurora Borealis - February 18, 2012

This was an unexpected geomagnetic storm. Although the planetary K-index only reached 5, the display was quite intense with aurora scattered throughout the sky as far southwest as the constellation Orion. We witnessed the display from around 9:00 p.m. CST until after midnight. Images were taken with a Canon 40D DSLR with a Sigma 8mm f/3.5 fisheye lens and a Canon 5D Mark II with a 17-40mm zoom lens set at 17mm, f/4.

The images below of the Aurora Borealis were taken in Caledon, Ontario, which is located approximately 50 kilometers or 30 miles (as the crow flies) north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We don't live in igloos here, in fact the latitude here is equivalent to Monaco, Nice (France), Florence (Italy), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Bucharest (Romania), Portland (Oregon), and Green Bay (Wisconsin). You don't necessarily have to be in the Arctic to see beautiful displays of Aurora Borealis, if the conditions are right and the Geomagnetic Storm is strong enough, you can get a great show at lower latitudes

Aurora Borealis - October 24, 2011

After many years of Solar Minimum, Northern Lights from a strong geomagnetic storm created by a CME were finally visible in the Greater Toronto Area (as well as a large portion of Canada, the United States and Europe). There have been a few strong storms recently but cloud cover was prevalent in the Toronto area at those times. On the evening of October 24, 2011, when darkness fell, a uniform green glow was visible throughout the northern sky. The planetary K-Index was 5 and then jumped to 7 . Working on a hunch, I quickly set up the camera and tripod in the driveway. Within a few minutes at approximately 9:25 p.m. EDT the sky literally erupted into a red curtain of fluttering light rapidly growing towards the zenith. The brightest part of the eruption only lasted for about 10 minutes and then faded into a mild display of Northern Lights. The photos below were all taken within 15 minutes of each other during the peak of the storm. The colour red was predominant in this display and is associated with high altitude excitation of Oxygen atoms. All photos taken with a Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR, lens set at 17mm, f/4.0, ISO ~1000, 8 to 12 second exposures.