Aurora Borealis

 

Red and green (between the roofs) aurora borealis aka the northern lights. I should've turned off the outdoor light by my garage.

We are approaching (or in?) a solar maximum and the aurora borealis has been showing up far into southern latitudes. In the past you would be lucky to see much more than a sky glow but with ubiquitous smart phones equipped with cameras it is now possible to see more. Most smart phones automatically take long exposures under dim lighting conditions and the results are amazing!

What I saw in person was just a blue and purplish sky glow with a single very faint column, but what I got out of my camera was much better.

This is much more like what could be seen with the naked eye, though a bit darker. As you can see the green had faded, though there is a little above the mountain.

I find the aurora beautiful and fascinating but also a little worrisome. Solar storms are capable of knocking out power grids and damaging electronics. It's a type of natural disaster that occurs infrequently but is inevitable. Eventually we will have an epic solar storm that will be the largest natural disaster in history. I hope not to see it in my lifetime.

For now I'll just enjoy the spectacle!