View larger. | Aurora over Mt. Hood in Oregon as captured by Ben Coffman Photography during the night of May 31-June 1, 2013. Visit Ben’s photography page on G+ or visit Ben on Facebook.
Hi, EarthSky, we don’t often get auroras as far south as Oregon (and when we do, we don’t often have clear skies), so it was a real treat to catch an aurora storm last night at Trillium Lake. That’s Mt Hood in the background. The white lights on Mt. Hood are Sno-Cats grooming the snowfields, and the largest light is probably Timberline Lodge, which was used as the exterior shot for the hotel in The Shining …
Awesome shot, Ben! Thank you.
After a week of relatively quiet geomagnetic activity, meaning fewer auroras, people did begin to see auroras beginning Friday night. Then during daylight hours on June 1, there was a moderate geomagnetic storm, following the arrival of an interplanetary shock wave on May 31, whose source was a bit mysterious. According to Spaceweather.com:
… it might have been a minor CME that left the sun without drawing attention to itself.
Is there a chance you’ll see an aurora tonight? Yes! As always, far northern latitudes are favored. But, as Ben’s photo shows, auroras can sometimes be seen farther south. Tonight’s chances are good. Take a look!
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah 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. 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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