Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery -- Summer 2011: Page 1

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Summer 2011

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Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the Sun has dipped 6^o to 16^o below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you've probably spotted a noctilucent cloud. Although noctilucent clouds appear most often at arctic latitudes, they have been sighted in recent years as far south as Colorado, Utah and Virginia. NLCs are seasonal, appearing most often in late spring and summer. In the northern hemisphere, the best time to look would be between mid-May and the end of August. See also 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009

Photographer, Location	Images	Comments
Aurimas Dirse, Vilnius, Lithuania Jun. 27, 2011	#1, #2, #3	Very bright noctilucent clouds. They appeared an hour after the sunset. NLC reached 90+ degrees above horizon. They covered more than half of the sky! As the night came only a few clouds near the horizon remained sunlit. It was a beatiful nlc display.
Marek Nikodem, near Szubin, Poland Jun. 26, 2011	#1, #2, #3, more	Season has been started on noctilucent clouds in Poland. Spaceweather on the storks. Invasion of the NLC in Poland. Last night was the most beautiful display this year.When I noticed the very strong display of Noctilucnt Clouds last evening, the skies were already quite dark, but the clouds were bright and showed an intense contrast to the deep blue sky. Noctilucent clouds time is the time of birth of young storks. Thousands of storks (Ciconia ciconia) Polish arrives each spring. Whenever you are born young stork in the heaven, we can admire the NLC. Nikon D700. exp 1-5 sec
Alan Dyer, near Gleichen, Alberta, Canada Jun. 28, 2011	#1, #2, more	This was our first sighting of NLCs for the season, from southern Alberta, and a few of us have been looking most nights it's been clear. But the NLC season for us began with a good display low in the north, quite bright at 11:45 pm MDT, June 28, local time but fading shortly after midnight. The vertical shot takes in the Big Dipper and Polaris.
Renata Arpasova, Swindon and Avebury, Wiltshire, UK Jun. 29, 2011	#1, #2, #3, #4, more	The NLC started just above horizont and then it spread right across the sky. First I photographed it in Swindon, and then went to Avebury. Canon 5D MKII, 17-40mmL, @17mm. Iso:250-400, Aperture F5.6-7.1, shutter 6secs-25secs
Ivo Dinsbergs, Riga, Latvia Jun. 27, 2011	#1, #2, #3	Brightest NLC display in this year! Photo details: Canon 500D, various settings. Jupiter 135/3.5 and Helios 44M-4 lenses.
Dariusz Wierzbicki, Warsaw, Mazovia, Poland Jun. 26, 2011	#1	Storm, Severe Weather : )

more images: from Dave Hancox of Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland; from Andrzej Szuksztul of Gdańsk, Poland; from Michal Laszczynski of Gdynia, Poland; from Stanislaw Rokita of Torun, Poland; from Dariusz Dorosz of Żabików, Poland; from Patryk Koniecki of Kwidzyn, Pomorskie, Poland; from John Houghton of Newtown Linford, Leicestershire

Northern Lights Photo Gallery: A solar wind stream hit Earth on May 20th causing a mild geomagnetic storm and Northern Lights around the Arctic Circle. The auroras of May 21st were so bright, they were visible in the twilight blue sky above Nunavik, Quebec.

"The sky is blue at 1 o'clock in the morning when I took these pictures," says photographer Sylvain Serre. "At our latitude at this time of year, it is blue all night long--and it's never a dark blue. So, at 1 o'clock in the morning, the sky is bright and I can see only a few stars."

In spite of this extra glare, Serre was able to see the auroras. "I saw them with my unaided eyes. The clouds made it difficult, but the clouds were moving slowly while the northern lights were moving faster." This, plus the green color of the auroras, made it possible to sort things out.