AURORAS IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE: Northern Lights ... in New Mexico?

[Althena]

Believe it. A solar wind storm on Oct 3rd pushed the aurora borealis across the Canadian border all the way to down to the American southwest. By the time they reached latitude +33o, the lights were barely visible to the human eye, but photographer Brad Dwight was able to capture them in a 13 second exposure with his digital camera:

http://spaceweather.com/images2016/06oct16/newmexico.jpg?PHPSESSID=uetijpdnt3ml5g8u9ci883gbu7

Monday night I was at White Sands National Monument trying to shoot the Milky Way," says Dwight. "I was never expecting to catch any auroral activity so far south!"

In fact, auroras stray to southern latitudes more often than most people realize. Dimmed by distance from the poles, however, the lights are easily lost in the glare of the Moon and urban lights. Photographers taking long exposures of the Milky Way are then surprised to find the green glow photobombing their intended target. "That's what happened to me!" says Dwight.

[Dianamar]

Believe it. A solar wind storm on Oct 3rd pushed the aurora borealis across the Canadian border all the way to down to the American southwest. By the time they reached latitude +33o, the lights were barely visible to the human eye, but photographer Brad Dwight was able to capture them in a 13 second exposure with his digital camera:

http://spaceweather.com/images2016/06oct16/newmexico.jpg?PHPSESSID=uetijpdnt3ml5g8u9ci883gbu7

Monday night I was at White Sands National Monument trying to shoot the Milky Way," says Dwight. "I was never expecting to catch any auroral activity so far south!"

In fact, auroras stray to southern latitudes more often than most people realize. Dimmed by distance from the poles, however, the lights are easily lost in the glare of the Moon and urban lights. Photographers taking long exposures of the Milky Way are then surprised to find the green glow photobombing their intended target. "That's what happened to me!" says Dwight.

I wish the sky looked like that everywhere , all the time :sun:

[TEOTWAIKI]

I saw the aurora in Oracle, Arizona a few years back; just 100 miles north of the Mexican border.
The whole northern sky turned red. After living in Alaska before this, I knew instantly it was the northern lights. Truly an amazing sight!