April 2003
Aurora Gallery
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Summary: April began as March ended--with high latitude auroras triggered by a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the Sun. Similar streams buffeted Earth's magnetic field three more times on April 9th-11th, 14th-21st, and 27th-28th. See also the April 2003 aurora gallery.

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Unless otherwise stated, all images are copyrighted by the photographers.


  Photographer, Location Images Comments

Carol Lakomiak, Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA
April 28
#1, #2, #3, #4 C. Lakomiak: "The intense portion of the display began at 05:00 (April 28th 2003) and lasted about an hour. Visual reds and greens were seen as well as beams and some momentary low curtains. Dominating the display were flickering sheets and flashing patches... fascinating to watch but difficult to capture, which is why the structure seems a bit blurred in these images. "

Daryl Pederson, Girdwood, Alaska, USA
April 25
#1, #2 D. Pederson: "Activity started around local midnight lasting until dawn. At one point a beluga whale spouted within 50 feet of my position adding to the mystical morning. "

Warren Justice, Riding Mountain National Park and surrounding areas, Manitoba, Canada
April 10
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 W. Justice: "A couple of the photos have a white colored tree in them. This is not frost or image manipulation, it is from a very close, brightly lit billboard sign. The artificial light registered as white on the film."

Dominic Cantin, 80km north of Québec city in the Laurentides wildlife reserve, Canada
April 3 & 10
#1, #2, #3, #4, more

Dominic offers readers this lovely photo as wallpaper for their computer screens. Photo details: 16 and 28mm @ f 2.8 , ~20 seconds exposure, Fuji Superia 800 film

LeRoy Zimmerman, Knik Valley, Alaska, USA
April 7-8
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, more LeRoy Zimmerman's panoramic views of auroras are remarkable. Browse all five! Photo details: Fuji 400F film, shot at 800, f2.8, about 18 seconds.

Scott McGee, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA
April 18, 2003
#1, more S. McGee: "I captured these brilliant auroras silhouetting a distant ridge in Denali National Park. This was the only display of the evening, and it lasted just 10 minutes."

Stephane Levesque, Luceville, Quebec, Canada
April 4
#1, #2, #3, #4

Photo details: 28mm, 400 ASA

Kevin Forster, Knik, Alaska, USA
April 10, 2003
#1 Photo details: Sony DSC F717 digital camera, ISO 200 @ 20 sec.

Duane Clausen, Menominee, Michigan, USA
April 10, 2003
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, more D. Clausen: Most of these photos were taken over the Bay of Green Bay from the shores of Menominee, Michigan. The auroras first appeared as a modest arc of green and lasted for about 6 hours. The storm began to intensify as morning broke. In fact, you can see the sun's morning light creeping above horizon in two (1, 2) of the exposures."

R. Glenn Jewers, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
April 11, 2003
#1, #2, #3, #4 "It was -22 Celsius with a windchill of -39. Brrr! I got about 30 shots before the cameras batteries died ," recalls Jewers. Photo details: Canon Elan IIE camera with a Sigma 28-200mm zoom lens. Fuji400 print film at f5.6 for 25 seconds.

Scott McGee, the Knik River near Palmer, Alaska
April 10, 2003
#1, more S. McGee: "I took this picture around 2 a.m. local time. The auroras were short-lived but intense. Although it was only a half moon, the 6 second exposure makes it appear full. The city lights of Wasilla glow in the distance at the right of the photo."

Scott Arko, North Pole, Alaska
April 9, 2003
#1, #2 S. Arko: "The auroras were so bright on the evening of April 9th that they were clearly visible in the early twilight. These two pictures were taken at about 10:45 pm while the sky was still quite blue." Photo details: Nikon N70, 24 mm Nikkor lens, f/5.6, 200 speed film and an 8 second exposure.

Adam Ziervogel, Hinton, Alberta, Canada
April 9, 2003
#1, #2, #3 "At the the peak of the display the lights took up about three quarters of the sky, with a nice corona overhead," says Ziervogel. Photo details: 20 sec exposures with 28mm lens @ 2.8f, Fuji 400 film.

Calvin Hall, the Sheep Mountain/ Eureka area of Alaska
April 9, 2003
#1, #2, #3, more "The aurora was steady all night, but not real active or colorful. I was serenaded by Great Horned Owls much of the night. Its mating season ," explains Hall.

John Russell, Nome, Alaska
April 8, 2003
#1, #2, #3, #4, more Photo details: Nikkor 28mm/f1.4, Superia 800, 2 to 6 seconds

Daryl Pederson, Sutton, Alaska
April 8, 2003
#1, #2, #3 "Activity was mellow until 2 a.m. when a short but intense flare up lasted for twenty minutes," says Pederson.

Brian Whittaker, 38,000 feet above the North Atlantic Ocean
April 1, 2003
#1, #2, #3 "It was a mass of stormy green," says Brian Whittaker, who took this picture of the Northern Lights from the window of an airplane flying 38,000 feet above the North Atlantic Ocean on April 1st. "The rapid dynamic pulses of luminosity spreading the width of the sky in seconds were a treat to watch."

USAF Defense Meteorological Satellite F-15
April 1
#1, more

"Here is an image from DMSP F-15 of auroral activity over Canada's Hudson Bay," says Mark D. Connor, staff scientist for Atmospheric & Environmental Research, Inc. "The low-light sensor on DMSP is able to pick up nighttime events like auroras, city lights, moonlight on clouds, and lightning flashes. Image credit: US Air Force/AF Weather Agency/METSAT Applications Branch.

Dominic Cantin, 80km north of Québec city in the Laurentides wildlife reserve, Canada
April 1
#1, #2, #3, more

Photo details: 16mm @ f 2.8, 20 sec, Fuji Superia 800

Stephane Levesque, Luceville, Quebec, Canada
April 1
#1, #2, #3

Photo details: 28mm, 800 ASA, 25 seconds

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