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Aurora borealis seen at low latitudes on February 18-19

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
February 19, 2014

EarthSky Facebook friend Kevin Palmer Photography captured this beautiful photo of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, early in the morning of February 19, 2014. He wrote:

The northern lights were visible all the way in Central Illinois early this morning. It was worth the 4 hour wait before they got this bright at 2:30am.

EarthSky Facebook friend Kevin Palmer Photography captured this wonderful shot of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of February 19, 2014. Visit Kevin Palmer Photography on Facebook.
EarthSky Facebook friend Kevin Palmer Photography in central Illinois captured this wonderful shot of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of February 19, 2014. Visit Kevin Palmer Photography on Facebook.

According to SpaceWeather.com:

A minor geomagnetic storm is in progress on Feb. 18-19. The cause: Magnetic fields in the interplanetary medium have tipped south, opening a crack in Earth’s defenses against the solar wind. High-latitude sky-watchers should be alert for auroras.

More images of last night’s auroral display, below.

EarthSky Facebook friend Jim Peacock captured the northern lights last night, too, from farther north. He was in northern Wisconsin. Thank you, Jim!
EarthSky Facebook friend Jim Peacock captured the northern lights last night, too, from farther north than the image above. He was in northern Wisconsin. Thank you, Jim!
EarthSky Facebook friend Colin Chatfield captured this beautiful shot last night. He wrote,
EarthSky Facebook friend Colin Chatfield captured this beautiful shot last night. He wrote, “Auroras under a foggy night just east of Saskatoon, SK, Canada. There was a good amount of fog and it was difficult to see anything for a while. The orange glow on the right is from light pollution over Saskatoon.” See more photos of last night’s aurora at Chatfield Photographics on Facebook.

Bottom line: Photos of the beautiful aurora, or northern lights, seen on the night of February 18-19, 2014, when the lights reached at least as far down as central Illinois.

Posted 
February 19, 2014
 in 
Earth

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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