Northern Lights photographed from a mountain top in northern Pennsylvania, USA.
Think I'll call this one "Christmas in October" for several reasons. First the colors and secondly I consider being able to see them a wonderful gift. They are really that amazing IMO!!!
I had missed several of the other solar storms we've had this year, so when this one was forcasted I began looking for the closest dark sky area I could find along with weather forcasts for matching clear skies. Then I searched for a location with elevation so I could have a clear unobstructed view, and of course the view had to be to the north with clear visibility to the east and west as well. This was almost as challenging as the long drive there.
I finally decided on this mountain top in northern PA and commited to the long ride to get there and back home.
The research paid off and I picked what I think is or at least was a stellar location. We began seeing them well before it was completely dark, a term often referred to as astronomical twilight (90 minutes after sunset).
I spent almost seven hours on top of the mountain and got to witness what I think was the best part of the show.
It varied in intensity during the night from rather weak to deep pulsating bands of color. So I think patience is a photographers best friend with these types of solar storms.
Below is a little information on the
Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis if you prefer... I've been asked by others what causes them, so I thought I'd try and describe the events to the best of my limited knowledge. Please feel free to correct anything I get wrong or add anything I might have missed.
The term aurora borealis comes from the names of two gods one Roman and one Greek. Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind.
They are caused by Coronal Mass Ejections or CME's for short. The science behind them is fascinating.
I have read several news feeds describing them as being created by Solar Flares, which seems incorrect since there is a big difference between the two.
A Solar Flare is a sudden burst of radiation and light from the Sun's surface, essentially a flash of energy, while a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is a large cloud of charged particles and magnetic field expelled from the Sun's corona, essentially a massive burst of plasma that travels through space
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