Photos of the Aurora Borealis
From the Great October 2003 solar storm.

One of the most eerily beautiful sights in the night sky is the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. They are caused when electrically charged particles, spewed from the sun, crash into the earth’s upper atmosphere. Directed by the earth’s magnetic field to the north or south magnetic pole, these energetic particles collide with the molecules of the atmosphere and make them glow. At the peak of the sun-spot cycle, the sun produces more of the particles, and the Northern Lights can appear in the skies of southern New York.

Click here For aurora photos from KAS Member Lee Shelp's web page showing aurora pictures from Maine, NY (Oct 29/30, 2003) and the September 2002 Black Forest Star Party.

Click here For aurora photos from the 1988-1991 sunspot peak.

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Click on the thumbnail images below to see the full size and resolution aurora pictures.

Aurora over Kopernik Observatory on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. "On that evening I was assisting the Broome Community College astronomy department with the observing labs for their astronomy classes. As it happened, a bright aurora developed around dark, but was more or less gone by 8:00pm local time." George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora over Kopernik Observatory's C-14 telescope dome. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora over Kopernik Observatory on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. The foreground appears somewhat bright because the moon was up and the parking lot lights were still on. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora on the evening of October 30, 2003, about 7:30 EST. George Normandin, KAS.

Aurora over Kopernik. Were did the "UFO" come from???? George Normandin, KAS.


Looking north; red pillars; Kopernik's 20-inch telescope dome. Jim Rienhardt.


Looking north; red and green aurora, with Kopernik's 20-inch telescope dome. Jim Rienhardt.


Green aurora streamers; this stuff filled the sky over Kopernik! Jim Rienhardt.


Looking north; red pillars; C-14 dome on left, 20-in dome on right. Jim Rienhardt.

Jim Rienhardt took the four pictures above. Jim is a former Kopernik Staff member and currently he's an astronomy instructor at Broome Community College in Binghamton, NY.

Click below to

George Normandin, KAS

November 13th, 2003