3:59 AM / 10:59 UTC

The Northern Lights in California early on July 27, 2004 Location: Lake Berryessa Camera: Canon AV-1 Lens: 50 mm Night sky observers at high, middle and low latitude regions in North America witnessed strong auroral activity on July 26-27, 2004. The source of this disturbance was the arrival of a strong full-halo coronal mass ejection associated with the long-duration M1 solar flare of July 25. A solar wind speed at +/- 1000 km/s combined with a southward pointing interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) produced severe geomagnetic storm conditions (G4 on the NOAA scale) between 00:00-15:00 UTC on July 27.

4:02 AM / 11:02 UTC


10 minute exposure at 2:00 AM / 09:00 UTC


4:25 AM / 11:25 UTC

all images © Dirk Obudzinski 2004 Borealis 2000 Home Page Aurora Photo Print Gallery More aurora borealis images: Alaska, March 2011 The Northern Lights in Alaska - August 2000 Aurora Borealis over Fairbanks Alaska Arizona, October 2002 Wyoming, October 2002 California, October 2003

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4:05 AM / 11:05 UTC
Faint blue auroral rays over the eastern (!) horizon in company of Venus, the Pleiades and Taurus.

1:48 AM / 08:48 UTC
A shooting star (most likely a Perseid Meteor) is passing through auroral rays at the northeastern horizon.

1:50 AM / 08:50 UTC

3:57 AM / 10:57 UTC