A riot of color in the night sky above the Arctic Circle gave local photographers a spectacular light show this September. Sometimes called the aurora borealis, the northern lights are caused by streams of particle-charged solar winds that hit the Earth’s magnetic field, causing hues of green and pink to shimmer against the backdrop of the stars. This year, professional and amateur photographers were able to capture the lights in more southerly latitudes than usual. Herewith, a small sampling of what they saw.
Photographer Fredrik Broms, who specializes in northern lights photography, said that the lights of Sept. 28, 2011 over Troms, Norway, were among the most spectacular he had ever seen. Fredrik Broms / National News / ZumapressBroms took these images using exposures of 20 to 30 seconds, Sept. 28, 2011.
Fredrik Broms / National News / ZumapressA frame made September 20, 2011 by photographer Patrick Pleul, on the island of Storstein, Norway. Patrick Pleul / DPA / NewscomOn October 25, observers in several parts of the United States, including some southerly places not accustomed to northern lights, were treated to a display of the aurora borealis. This one was photographed in Minnesota. Justin Dernier / CorbisA ribbon of green shimmers over Storstein, Norway, September 20, 2011.Patrick Pleul / DPA / NewscomThis once-in-a-lifetime image, taken by amateur photographer Tommy Eliassen on Sept. 25, 2011, captures the northern lights, the Milky Way and a streaking meteor all in one frame. Tommy Eliassen / Caters News / ZumapressPhotographer Eliassen waited for days until a one-hour window of clear sky broke out. After getting some "good shots," he noticed an aurora lining up perfectly beside the Milky Way. "Normally the lights from the aurora is much, much stronger," he says, but this was a rare event. "I quickly got seven pictures of the scene before the clouds covered the sky again." Tommy Eliassen / Caters News / Zumapress
