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Bright aurora in moonlight

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February 23, 2014

View larger. | Mike Taylor calls this photo Moonlight Aurora II. He captured it on February 19, 2014. Visit Taylor Photography

Mike Taylor captured this photo of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, on the night of February 18-19, when strong auroras were visible farther south than usual. Mike wrote:

The spikes of the northern lights were quite strong when I first headed out see what I could capture close to my home in central Maine on the morning of February 19. The cloud cover quickly moved out but then came back after about a half hour. I almost missed the show! This was one of my test shots to check my camera settings and composition. The moon was very bright and washed out a lot of the sky and the aurora but made for some nice foreground lighting.

Nikon D600 & 14-24mm @ 14mm
f/2.8 – 20 secs – ISO 800 – WB Kelvin 3570
02/19/14 – 2:56 AM
Processed through Lightroom 5 & Photoshop CS5

Thank you, Mike Taylor!

Aurora borealis seen at low latitudes on February 18-19

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February 23, 2014

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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. 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 in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. 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.