Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Aurora borealis, Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada


This photo of an aurora borealis was taken by photographer Zoltan Kenwell near Drayton Valley in Alberta, Canada, at approximately 3:00 a.m., July 22, 2009.

On viewing the aurora Zoltan says, "It was a very rare and unexpected auroral event that happened in the middle of the ongoing solar minimum, which is the deepest in a century. Apparently, a crack in the Earth's magnetic field allowed the solar wind that Earth is normally bombarded by to enter the atmosphere and create these auroral displays. Also, coincidently, at the same time of this auroral display, the total solar eclipse of 2009, July 22, was happening on the other side of the planet in India and China. This auroral display lasted five hours!"

To view additional photos of this aurora by Kenwell, visit his gallery, Infocus Imagery Inc, at www.infocusimagery.com/.

(Date of Image: July 22, 2009)

Credit: InFocus Imagery Inc.

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