Images of the Aurora

In most years, one or more displays of the aurora borealis can be seen from mid-Michigan, despite the clouds which seem to delight in getting in the way. It is relatively easy to get a photograph of the aurora, although still photos often give no sense of the lively motion seen in many displays. The images shown here were usually taken a few miles north of the Lansing area, putting the city lights to the south. Time exposures are ordinarily needed with either digital or film cameras, and those shown here typically range from about 5 seconds to 15 seconds in duration. Longer exposures can show fainter detail, but rapidly moving portions of the aurora can be blurred.

Most spectacular are the aurora displays seen during large geomagnetic storms, which can be triggered when an ejected coronal mass strikes the Earth's magnetosphere. These are more likely to be seen when the Sun is very active, with large sunspot groups and strong solar flares. However, even when the Sun is relatively quiet, near solar minimum, solar winds from coronal holes can produce modest auroral displays low in the northern sky.

Click on an image to see full-size version. Photos by Horace Smith unless otherwise noted. Photos taken at MSU Observatory and North East Lansing