Northern Lights photos

Northern Lights (Aurora borealis)

The northern lights are caused by high-speed electrons and protons from the sun, trapped in the Van Allen radiation belts high above the earth and then channeled toward the polar regions by the earth’s magnetic field. These electrically charged particles enter the atmosphere and collide with air molecules (chiefly oxygen and nitrogen), thus exciting them to luminosity. The northern lights appear between 35 mi and 600 mi (56 km–970 km) above the earth, as patches of light, in the form of streamers, arcs, banks, rays, or resembling hanging draperies. The displays coincide with periods of greatest sunspot and solar activity. All of the photos of the northern lights here may be licensed as stock photos for your commercial use or purchased as fine art prints for your home or office.

Article and eBook

I wrote a complimentary article titled: How to Photograph the Northern Lights that addresses basic instructions and tips on photographing the northern lights. Where to go, how to dress, batteries, lens types, etc. It served as the basis for a much more extensive and comprehensive treatment of the subject,t which turned into a wonderfully illustrated 330-page tutorial that will equip you with all the critical information necessary to capture your photos of the northern light. It is in a digital eBook format: How to Photograph the Northern Lights eBook.

Northern Lights Forecast Websites

• UAF Geophysical Institute
• Space Weather
• Solar Cycle 24

Colors and the Northern lights

Red and Green-Oxygen: Light emitted by the northern lights tends to be dominated by emissions from atomic oxygen, resulting in a greenish glow and, in the higher altitudes, a red glow.

Other colors-Nitrogen: Color variations, especially those emitted by atomic and molecular nitrogen (blue and purple), change very quickly and result in dynamic movement in the northern lights.