September 18, 2017
Grand Rapids, MN
A high speed stream of solar wind with a southward Bz brought auroras to northern Minnesota. I was out on Pokegama Lake for other reasons, so I decided to wait until darkness to see if the auroras would show up. Indeed, they did. I snapped a few shots and started for home, but when I passed the south end of the lake, I could see a second band much higher in the sky. I stopped at the boat landing there and snapped a few more pictures.
For comparison, I decided to also shoot a few stills from the north side of town to see the effect of the city lights on my shots. Apparently, that effect was not as large as it had been on a lot of other nights. The difference between my images taken to the south of town and images taken to the north of town was smaller than I had noticed before.
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| Here is a somewhat contrast-enhanced image taken on the southwest part of Pokegama Lake. |
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| A normal contrast image showing a brightened blob of auroras above the main auroral arc. |
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| A second band lit up much higher in the sky. |
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An image taken from a location (Prairie Lake) just to the northeast of Grand Rapids.
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