Northern lights play over the USA

A G2-class (moderate) geomagnetic storm created Northern Lights over the upper-to-middle United States June 6 and 7 when the Earth passed through an area of south-pointing magnetism in the solar wind, according to spaceweather.com. Photographer Clay Bramhallwho captured an image from Goff, KS, that displayed the phenomenon. 'The aurora surprised me,' said Bramhallwho.

Clay Bramhallwho used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II to capture the northern lights over Kansas.

More aurorae could come over the evening of June 8 into the early morning of June 9, when a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) that left the Sun on June 5 is expected to strike the Earth's magnetosphere, according to spaceweather.com, though the site is not clear whether any of the 48 states will be included at that time. 

Christian Begeman shot this image near Colton, South Dakota with a Canon 7D

Spaceweather.com is a great site to track incoming CMEs as well as passing satellites, meteors, and other interesting near-space phenomena, often with excellent accompanying images and diagrams. 

Click here to visit SpaceWeather.com

Click here to see SpaceWeather's RealTime Image Gallery with more recent aurora shots

You may also like

National Geographic's 125th anniversary celebrations continue Sep 30, 2013	IFA roundup: What's new in mobile photography tech Sep 14, 2013	Young man with autism turns to photography for communication Sep 9, 2013	When Bad Weather Means Great Photography Aug 19, 2013

Comments

Total comments: 9

By InTheMist (4 months ago)

So beautiful.

0 upvotes

By Camediadude (4 months ago)

I love it. I dream of the days in which I will soon venture North to see these lights and photograph them myself.

1 upvote

By Otago Lad (4 months ago)

We had it down south in NZ too though we call it a different name
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzpix/8976964134/

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

2 upvotes

By JMal (4 months ago)

Each photo is so stunning I wish I could do the same using my former Motorola V3x cell phone.

0 upvotes

By John Koch (4 months ago)

Skies too cloudy in NE USA during past two days and nights. Light "pollution" or crossing aircraft predominate unless one can be in a remote area. The Kansas and ND shots both show some glow from habitations. Tonight or tomorrow, their skies may be filled with clouds or lightning. Unless a farmer, it may not be easy to find a spot with a wide, open vista, except along roadways with traffic headlight interference, or patrol cars leery of midnight loiterers.

Arctic peoples (Canadians, Siberians, Alaskans, Finns) perhaps see the auroras as often as a full moon, from the comfort of their igloo windows.

0 upvotes

By RichRMA (4 months ago)

Of course, it was cloudy in the NE. Haven't seen aurora at 42 deg. N. since 2005.

0 upvotes

By Combatmedic870 (4 months ago)

Any chance it will hit Portland area Oregon?

0 upvotes

By jimrpdx (4 months ago)

It takes a kp index around 9 to reach us 'here' in Portland, this last set was 6+ I hear. While 9 is pretty rare I have seen it a few times, low in the north; Larch Mt east of town is a good place to try as the view north is dark.

0 upvotes

By Deardorff (4 months ago)

Last October had a light show visible in Alabama and Arizona - but here in North Dakota we had three days of heavy overcast. Just the luck of the draw.
We get auroras pretty regularly and the spaceweather site is a good resource.

0 upvotes

Total comments: 9