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Robert Snache / Spirithands Photography
Robert Snache, a photographer living in the Rama First Nation in Ontario, captured this view of the northern lights on the night of July 8-9. For more about Snache and his work, check out Spirithands Photography on Facebook.
A crack in the magnetic field sounds like the start of a sci-fi movie, but it's actually an opportunity for a beautiful auroral light show — as seen in these pictures.
SpaceWeather.com's Tony Phillips says the interplanetary magnetic field near Earth experienced a fluctuation last night and tipped south, opening a crack for electrically charged particles to interact with atoms and ions in the upper atmosphere. "Solar wind poured in and ignited the lights," he wrote.
The result was a five-star performance, staged for skywatchers in northern latitudes. "I had gone out to search for noctilucent clouds, but instead I found a super-clear night with northern lights," photographer Robert Snache of Ontario's Rama First Nation wrote.
Snache told me that he's the guy in the foreground of the picture, which was "shot with a 10-second timer." For more of Snache's work, check out Spirithands Photography on the Web, Facebook or Flickr.
South of the U.S.-Canada border, Shawn Stockman-Malone of Lake Superior Photo also got a great view of the northern lights from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We've featured Stockman-Malone's time-lapse videos before, but this one is different in at least two respects. First, the pace of the video is slower, which is "more realistic to what you might see with the aurora" in real time, he said. And if you click the video to full-screen resolution, you'll notice a dark shape flitting through the start of the scene. That's a great blue heron, Stockman-Malone said.
"Scared the heck when I saw it flying around just barely over the lake," he told me an email. "All I saw was a big black blob, thought maybe it was a goose. I didn't see it on the shore until I put the lapse together. I must have spooked it when I went walking around looking for other photo angles."
This time-lapse video, titled "Northern Lights Over Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Lake Superior July 9, 2012" was posted by Shawn Stockman-Malone of LakeSuperiorPhoto on Vimeo. For more photos, check out Lake Superior Photo's Facebook page.
The auroral show could light up northern skies once again tonight: Space weather forecasters say that a strong wave of solar particles, blasted out from a sunspot region on Friday, could deal a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field overnight. "NOAA forecasters estimate a 25 percent to 30 percent chance of polar geomagnetic storms if and when the cloud arrives," SpaceWeather.com reports.
To keep up with the solar storm prediction, check out the Space Weather Prediction Center's website and Facebook page. As of this writing, we're in the midst of a G1 geomagnetic storm. The prediction center's auroral map provides a rough idea of where the northern and southern lights might be visible, and the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks also offers a great website for aurora-watchers.
Update for 10:06 p.m. ET: This is a great week to see Jupiter and Venus together in the pre-dawn sky, and on July 14-15, the moon joins the morning show. So, even if you're not in the aurora zone, there's still a good reason to stay up late ... or get up early. If you snap a picture of a celestial sight, please consider sharing it with us via msnbc.com's FirstPerson photo-upload webpage.
More auroral glories:
- Aurora makes the sky sing the blues
- Northern lights blaze again on video
- Farewell to the northern lights
- Northern lights make for must-see TV
- Southern exposure for auroral lights
- Slideshow: The best of the northern lights
- Cosmic Log's auroral archive
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as msnbc.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Okay!...leave it to the media to downplay the problems that the Earths magnetosphere is having. You see...if they were even partially educated in science, they would realize just how much of a danger it is to have a non working magnetosphere. It BLOCKS specific rays from space that CAN cook YOU! Also it can cause power interuptions and flucuations in the power grid. BUT!...to the uneducated, it is PRETTY. OH, look at the PRETTY tidal wave headed toward us. Look at the PRETTY Volcano that's erupting. Look at the PRETTY Earthquakes and how they twist bridges and roads, it is sooo beautiful. OH. look at the PRETTY Alien that's gonna probe me.
What else do you expect from the media. Even when you give them facts, they STILL screw the story up.
I went to College with some of these reporters, they have a LOT to be desired, especially in the common sense area and logic area of the brain.
The Aurora is PRETTY..LOOOOOOK at the colors...it's soooo pretty!
Oooohhh...look at the radiation burns and the cancer and the scorched ground, it sooo PRETTY.
I see how the media is gonna play off the end of the world..it will go something like this, with a some hotty smiling while she says it.
" Today I am standing here on this pretty hill. As you can see, there are multiple tidal waves hitting our shoreline. So far, reports have it that 300 children and 400 adults have been drowned. " She smiles:
" Also... reports are coming in of multiple earthquakes around the globe along with major power outs throughout our Nation. Tomorrow we can expect 73 feet of snow, followed by a mini 1,000 year ice age. For those who can not stand the cold, I would suggest a warm jacket. Back to you Brian."
Holly smokes ....
Someone needs a chill pill .... "LOL"
To bigbenalaska:
Yeah, your right..my prescription for chill pills ran out.
I'm sorry to hear johntopeka ....
Try breathing in the good ....
And exhaling out the bad ....
Over and over ....
I'll give you a vote and wish you well ....
I hope that helps a little .... "LOL"
To bigben alaska:
I finally stopped laughing. My wife was busting a gut.
Thanks brother, you should be a comedian or write for someone, suttle but real funny.
that's the most astonishing scenery ive ever seen and really cooool !! thanx for sharing
These are always good videos and links ....
I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing new photo's and videos of the Aurora's ....
Today we know what they are ....
I wonder what those who lived well before the Aurora's were understood , thought it was .... ??
Thanks Alan ....
Pretty Cool stuff Alan.
There's roc1960 ....
Good to see you ....
Would you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, give the public some credit. We all know what the media is doing. You don't think we know that global warming is real and we have problems with the magnetosphere? Give me a break. We also know the artic is melting, the oceans are rising, crime is going up and the gangs are taking over. We KNOW that the cops are corrupt, right along with the bankers, the Senators, The congress, house of Representitives, lawyers, loan agents, real estate agents, we get it, we are screwed...we just would like to here it from you..not unless you really DON'T know what is going on in the world...WHICH...wouldn't surprise me. Also, quit giving us the news on a fifth grade mentality level. GOD!...give US some worthy important news, like.....how the numbers have changed over the past fifty years concerning the weather. Maybe something interesting like footage of real saucers and landing sites and admit aliens are here, we already know this, 80% of the people know this, we WANT to HEAR it from YOU!!! Stop treating us like idiots, we'll end up like your bosses, not being able to think for ourselves and putting spins on stuff.I swear I am going to STOP listening and reading the news, My I.Q. points drop dramatically when I do.
Ease up ....
Have you ever seen those space people .... ??
To bigbenalaska:
I had to stop choking on my dinner I was laughing so hard about what you wrote back about space people.
so, here is my answer;
No..not ever. BUT!...I am sure that those that have seen them would agree with me. I have only seen things that the Air Force has. Way better than the x37b. I lived near Area 51 in Nevada about ten miles from the base and had a good friend a Colonel that worked there. He had told me that the Government has some extremley sophisicated space craft, way past the disk stuff. more along the lines of what you would see on stargate Atlantis, i beleive it is called the orion or something like that.
Well johntopeka ....
Don't fall for that tourist promoting stuff ....
It's interesting though ....
I grew up an Air Force brat. A friend's dad was once the chief logistics officer for Goose Lake Air Station, better known as Area 51. What he basically said was "I can't tell you what is there or isn't there. Just don't believe a word the government says and leave it at that."
"quit giving us the news on a fifth grade mentality level. GOD!...give US some worthy important news, like.....how the numbers have changed over the past fifty years concerning the weather."
Praise God for his wonderful creation! The news is, Jesus Christ will be returning soon for his followers. Those that believe. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
I HAVE BEN! Wait must have been the Shrooms back then, Oh well.
Don't they grow out of cow paddies .... ??
Thanks Ben!!! That just left a bad taste in my mouth, Ill skip em on the pizza to.
I love mushrooms ....
But not is they grow out of some animal paddy ....
But not if they grow out of some animal paddy ....
My typing is getting worse ....
Couple cold ones there Ben?
I must need something ....
You think I should see a doctor or something .... ??
Not yet there Ben all is still well.
Thanks Alan for working so hard on the peice you wrote. I just need a chill pill, the Government did this to me..
Did you try that breathing thing .... ??
Works pretty good huh .... ??
Constantly
Sometimes if people would just stop and look at the beauty and awe going on around us the world would be a happier place. There is so much out there just to look at!
I hope you weren't looking at me when you wrote that roc1960 ....
Rest assured Ben.
Thanks roc1960 ....
See any show up there by you Ben or is the Sun still up. Little to south here, did see some Awesome display when I lived in Galena.
Got To Go Ben late here, Later, thanks again Al.
This article shows some Aurora's from around the Great Lakes roc1960 ....
Maybe you are a little too far south ....
S. Wis
thats one of the most astonishing scenery ive ever seen !
TinyDeal
OMG 2012 the movie was right! It's all over!
As a a huge fan of Mr. Boyle, I appreciate the sticking to the facts and leaving out all the hype. I do not want my news filtered through any color of glasses. Science has made consistent statements about shifting magnetic fields and solar flares plenty of times. If there is nothing else new to report I don't mind reading only about the observations of a few without getting into risks and threats each time.