2000 August 17
Plasma from the Sun and debris from a comet both
collided with planet Earth last Saturday morning triggering
magnetic storms
and a meteor shower in a
dazzling atmospheric spectacle.
The debris stream from comet Swift-Tuttle is
anticipated yearly, and
many skygazers
already planned to watch the peak of the
annual Perseids meteor shower in the
dark hours of August 11/12.
But the simultaneous,
widely reported
auroras were triggered by the chance arrival of
something much less predictable -- a solar
coronal mass ejection.
This massive bubble of energetic plasma was seen leaving
the active Sun's surface on August 9,
just in time to travel to Earth and disrupt the
planet's magnetic field triggering
extensive auroras during
the meteor shower's peak!
Inspired by the cosmic light show,
Sebastien Gauthier
photographed the
colorful auroral displays above the dramatic dome of the
Mount-Megantic
Popular Observatory
in southern Quebec, Canada.
Bright Jupiter and giant star Aldebaran can be seen
peering through
the shimmering northern lights at the upper right.