November 7, 2023 Proton Auroras
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
A CME swept past Earth in the early morning hours a day earlier, bringing strong auroras to parts of Europe and the U.S. where clouds were not present. Since it was cloudy in Minnesota, we didn't see them. During the day on Monday, conditions within the CME core were still conducive to auroras, but it was still cloudy. The clouds were looking pretty solid over most of northern Minnesota, so the probability of any clearing was remote.
In the late evening (around 11:30), I went outside to put the garbage at the end of the driveway. I looked up and noticed that the skies had partially cleared, and then I saw the 5 to 6 second pulsations of a diffuse aurora overhead. I ran inside and grabbed my camera. I set it up in time to grab just a few shots as the clouds moved back in.
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| Proton auroras over my driveway. |