Photographer captures aurora borealis display
The amazing aurora light show was snapped near the town of Yellowknife, known as one of the world's finest Northern Lights watching destinations..
The flourescent [sic] bands of light are produced by the collision of charged particles from Earth's magnetosphere, mostly electrons but also protons and heavier particles, with atoms and molecules of Earth's atmosphere at altitudes above 80 km..
The particles originate from the Sun and reach the Earth in the stream of solar wind.
In the mid 1980's, about this time of year, we made a night crossing of Lake Michigan from Holland, Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and we were treated to a show similar to this, although it was a little higher in the sky and not quite this dramatic. It was still an awe inspiring event. It puts the "green flash" to shame!
/fl