Green Aurora Over South Iceland

December 27, 2012

Iceland 1 440

Photographer: Spyros Chondrogiannis
Summary Authors: Spyros Chondrogiannis; Jim Foster

December 2012 Viewer's Choice The photo above shows a gorgeous green aurora with magenta highlights stretching above south Iceland as observed on October 14, 2012. It lit up the sky just as civil twilight was ending. The camera is facing toward the west. In the Northern Hemisphere, aurora borealis or northern lights are more frequently seen the closer the observer is to the North Magnetic Pole. They're also more apt to be viewed near the time of the autumnal and vernal equinox, in September and October and again from March to April, when geomagnetic disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere are strongest. However, they've been observed every month of the year, from polar latitudes, as long as the sky is sufficiently dark to permit their viewing.

Photo Details: Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L; Focal Length: 17mm; Aperture: f/4.0; Exposure Time: 20.000 s; ISO equiv: 800; Software: iPhoto 9.4.2.

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