Aurora Borealis from Long Island, NY

Aurora Borealis seen from New York

Cedar Beach, Mt. Sinai, Long Island, NY

June 23, 2015

On June 22, 2015 Space Weather Live put out a KP index of 7. In order to see an Aurora from Long Island the KP index needs to be a 7 or higher. I saw a reading as high as KP8.67 in the early morning hours of June 23, 2015. Although the Aurora was not seen visually I continued to take photos of the dark sky in hopes of capturing something of the Aurora. It is rare to capture and see an Aurora from Long Island, NY. Although the seeing was not optimal I was able to capture enough of the Aurora to confirm it from Long Island. 

Special Thanks to Elias Bonaros for  the Aurora alert and help confirming the final Aurora photos.

The following photos were taken between one and two am in the morning.

1:15am Some green above the Sky-glow of Connecticut.

1:24am - Some dark pupleish-red appears visible above the green of the Aurora

1:27am - The Aurora appears in the north under the Constellation Cassiopeia.

1:45am

1:46am

1:47am

1:48am

2:08am - The Aurora seemed to dissipate after 2 am. Green no longer seen above the Connecticut sky-glow.

Aurora Photos - September 26, 2011

Aurora Borealis - Acadia National Park, Maine

An alert was sent out from Spaceweather Aurora Detection Network on September 26, 2011. Supposedly the Kp Index hit 8 and we were in the middle of a geomagnetic storm. 

"GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A strong-to-severe geomagnetic storm is in progress following the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME) at approximately 12:15 UT (Universal Time) on September 26th. The Goddard Space Weather Lab reports a "strong compression of Earth's magnetosphere. Simulations indicate that solar wind plasma [has penetrated] close to geosynchronous orbit starting at 13:00 UT." Geosynchronous satellites could therefore be directly exposed to solar wind plasma and magnetic fields. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for Northern and Southern Lights after nightfall."

The Aurora was visible from the Acadia National Park, Schoodic Point, Maine, shortly before 9:00pm EST. Stargazing events were going on at the same time, the Acadia Night Sky Festival and The Sky Rangers Interpretive Workshop, from a dark-sky park. It was great being in the right place at the right time with my camera to capture the event. My first Aurora!

8:55pm EST

8:56pm EST

8:57pm EST

8:57pm EST

9:00pm EST

9:12pm EST

9:13pm EST

9:14pm EST

9:14pm EST

9:15pm EST

9:25pm EST

9:29pm EST

Another photographer, Robert Sparks, from NOAO (The National Optics Astronomy Observatory), one of our instructors and telescope coaches, was also there and his photos can be found on Flickr. He used a Fish-eye lens which caught a wider field of view.