Saturday September 10, 2005 was the second day of the ninth annual “Astronomy at the Beach” held at Kensington Metropark. During late afternoon and early evening, telescopes with solar filters were pointed at the sun; a large sunspot group was visible. Solar activity had been very high for a few days; this can sometimes lead to an aurora.
Shortly after 11PM, an aurora was seen to the north. The photograph above was taken with an exposure of 10 seconds and shows both the reds and greens often seen in aurora. Though it is dimly lit, the water of Kent Lake is visible in photograph. The constellation of Ursa Major (“the big dipper”) is visible above the aurora.