Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Alaska Aurora Sequence

NASA ^ | December 28, 2013 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: A remarkably intense auroral band flooded the northern night with shimmering colors on December 7. The stunning sequence captured here was made with a camera fixed to a tripod under cold, clear skies near Ester, just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. Left to right, spanning a period of about 30 minutes, the panels follow changes in the dancing curtains of northern lights extending to altitudes of over 100 kilometers in a band arcing directly overhead. The panels span 150 degrees vertically, covering about 500 kilometers of aurora laying across the sky from edge to edge. The auroral activity was triggered by a moderate level geomagnetic storm, as a high speed solar wind stream buffeted planet Earth's magnetosphere.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: LeRoy Zimmerman (TWAN)]

[SunkenCiv]

The Big One

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[Diana in Wisconsin]

OMG! Wow!

I’ve only seen them twice - once during Winter Camp at Ft. McCoy, WI and once when I was a kid in Sun Prairie, WI. My Dad woke me up to see them - so glad he did!

Spectacular!

Nature heals and amazes me each and every day! :)

[jurroppi1]

The last image in the sequence looks like a dove on the wing turning to the left. The whole sequence almost looks like the genesis of said dove (left to right).

Call me crazy, that’s what I see...

[smokingfrog]

http://www.leroyzimmerman.com/galleries/interior_alaska_auroras/index.html

[TChad]

Born in 1940, photographer LeRoy Zimmerman's interest in photography began in Oskosh, Wisconsin as a very young boy. His passion for photography began to get serious in 1967 when he discovered a panoramic format could be realized by using 3 frames of 35mm film to make up a single image. Since that summer day, he has done nothing else but panoramic filming.

Good for him.

I would like to see those images in a video.

[AmericaUnite]

That’s a beautiful link.

[colorado tanker]

I’ve only been to Alaska once, but I flew in by night and had the window seat for an amazing display of the Aurora. It’s incredibly beautiful.