Aurora – September 26, 2011

That evening’s Planetary Kp index from the USAF Space Forecast Center was forecast to be in the range of 6-8 which meant that it was possible to see auroras at our latitude (Massachusetts). After sunset, I drove to a nearby location that afforded a northern horizon and set up my DSLR on a tripod. I took over thirty images hoping that the camera would capture the aurora. The sky was washed out by the lights of Nashua, Lowell and other towns in the area due to the high humidity levels. At 21:49 hrs EDT (9:49 pm) I noticed reddish vertical streaks in my image but they were invisible to the naked eye. I continued to image until the clouds and fog rolled in at around 23:00 hrs EDT (11 pm).

30-second image, EF 24-105mm at 40mm f/4, Unmodified Canon T1i, ISO 800, processed with Adobe Photoshop. 21: 49 hrs, 26 September 2011, Littleton, MA.