Solar storm over CK

A confluence of clear October skies, the aurora borealis “Northern Lights” and a rare solar storm have combined to make interesting viewing this week for Kitsap County skygazers. These photos were taken near Seabeck Highway at 2 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29 using a Canon 35mm EOS 1 film camera. The F-stop was 4.0 with a shutter exposure time of 30-60 seconds long, with a 28-105 wide-zoom lens. The film used was Fuji Pro 400 sp. To the naked eye, the lights in the sky looked like white clouds that would appear for about 2-5 minutes then disapear. The larger photo was shot looking west over the Hood Canal. The smaller photo was shot looking north from Seabeck, the white glow at center of photo are the lights at Naval Submarine Base Bangor. Scientists estimate the solar storm on Wednesday took 19 hours to arrive from the sun’s surface. The Northern Lights display was viewable in a huge area running as far south as Georgia, Texas and New Mexico.