23 November 1997: Laramie, Wyoming

This was a case where I wasn't paying enough attention, but still caught the display. At about 6:30pm I drove over to my favorite gas station and on the way noticed a glow in the north, which disappeared while I was watching it on the way back. After checking Internet information, I gathered up my equipment and headed out to my site. Temperatures were in the low 20s (Farenheit). I took the following notes. Times are given in UT.

• 3:11 - 70 degree long arc very low in sky, but fairly bright, peak height 5-10 degrees
• 3:22 - numerous rays forming
• 3:23-3:24 - rays up to 10 degrees, two photos
• 3:29 - still several variable days, 30 sec integration
• 3:35 - arc fading, no rays
• 3:39 - #3 30 sec, quiescent
• 3:44 - faint rays and a more diffuse glow on NE end of arc
• 3:48 - rays increasing and spreading W
• 3:52 - broad rays up to 15 degrees, hint of non-green color
• 3:54 - rays died
• 4:04 - few faint rays but arc diffuse and faint
• 4:15 - few faint rays
• 4:21 - rays to 20 degrees, also some W of N
• 4:32 - that died soon after; now just some faint stuff, no obvious arc, considering going home for now

The Boulder K-index was 6 for 0-3UT and 7 for 3-6UT, which I found out right before heading back out.

• 6:32 - back; faint, low arc, no structure
• 6:38 - very faint raying
• 6:57 - Gegenschein just S of Pleiades? [I confirmed this when I got back home on a chart. The Gegenschein is a faint, diffuse glow directly opposite the Sun caused by sunlight scattering off of light in the plane of the Solar System. It requires extremely dark skies to see.]
• 6:58 - a little more activity
• 7:10 - increasing longitudes, number, and height
• 7:11 - good stuff now, bright low, fainter up to 15 degrees
• 7:15 - #5 20 sec, #6 30 sec, arc pretty bright
• 7:17 - activity back down a bit
• 7:22 - #7 60 sec, pretty consistant, less rays
• 7:32 - fainter, a few persistant faint, diffuse 10-15 degree rays
• 7:40 - quite faint now
• 7:46-7:48 - watched moonrise

The photos were all taken with a 35mm f/2.8 lens stopped down to f/4. Using the numbering scheme above, these are photos 1, 6, and 7. In photo 1 you can see the bowl of the Big Dipper, in photo 6 you can see all but Merak and Dubhe, and in photo 7 you can see the entire Big Dipper.

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File last modified: 01 December 2004