Last night's aurora, October 24, 2011

As I always do on Monday nights after my radio show, I started looking for clouds and stars as I arrived home. The few clouds in the north had an odd green and grey light behind them. Since it wasn't the usual orange glow of light pollution from below and the sun had set three hours earlier, I was suddenly hopeful for some aurora.

I stepped inside, intending to check spaceweather, but my mother was already putting on her coat and coming outside. She said someone from my astronomy club had phoned earlier and said there were aurora. So we went back out, and the green glow in the north was now topped by quickly growing red light.

I ran back in for my camera and tripod. From 9:30-9:40, the sky was very active. Lots of bright red in the northwest, reaching briefly up to the zenith. It faded quickly and by 10 the camera was still picking out a mild red glow, but not much to the naked eye. By 11:30, it was all gone and the show was over.

Enjoy these pictures from my backyard, and keep looking up.

 Many more pictures at spaceweather.com.