Aurorae

I saw my first aurora on the night from april 5 to 6, 2000. I was alerted by an e-mail that an aurora could currently be watched. I just watched it and did not take any photographs. I should have stayed until after midnight because the most spectacular displays could be seen after midnight. But I had to work the other day and to get some sleep before.

On the night from july 15 to 16, 2000 things were different. Two days in advance aurora-alerts came in by e-mail. I watched the cloudy sky the whole evening. As the hours went by the clouds disappeared. This time I had my camera ready. At midnight the sky was cloudless to the east, to the north, to the west an in the zenith.

Exactly at midnight the spectaculum started with a corona. Bright streamers went up from the horizon and met in the zenith. To the north I could see from time to time a greenish bar. After that the western and northwestern sky glowed red and purple. The Big Dipper was in the northwest. Again and again I could see streamers crossing that asterism but never forming a corona again. The show stopped at 00.40h, and I went to bed happily. This time I was able to take some nice pictures in front of my house.

	Date: 16.07.00, 00.00h-00.30h CEST Lens: 28 mm, f/2,8 Guiding: none Exposure time: 30 seconds Film: Kodak Royal Gold 100 Unfortunately I forgot to focus the lens properly. The stars became fat blobs. But the streamers that met in the zenith near Vega forming a corona can clearly be seen.
	Date: 16.07.00, 00.00h-00.30h CEST Lens: 28 mm, f/2,8 Guiding: none Exposure time: 30 seconds Film: Kodak Royal Gold 100 As the show went on the bright streamers were concentrated in the constellation Ursa Major. The stars of the asterism called Big Dipper shine through the aurora. Meanwhile I corrected the focus. Back