Summary: A coronal mass ejection swept past our planet on Oct 21st at 1645 UT and ignited a geomagnetic storm. The interplanetary magnetic field near Earth tilted south -- a condition that encourages geomagnetic activity -- and, as a result, the storm persisted for nearly 36 hours. [more]

Unless otherwise stated, all images are copyrighted by the photographers.

	Photographer, Location	Images	Comments
	Chris VenHaus, Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4, more	C. VenHaus: "I used Fuji Provia 400F and Fuji Superia 800 film, and shot these betwen 3:00 and 6:00 am local time. It was one of the best displays I've ever seen."
	Tom Eklund, Valkeakoski, Finland Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, more	T. Eklund: "This was the most lively big display that I have ever seen!" Photo details: 28mm f/2.0, 15 sec. and Fuji Provia 400F
	Duane Clausen, Menominee, MI, USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, more	D. Clausen: "The northern lights were subdued at first by encroaching cloud cover. Shortly after dark the haze began to clear and the clouds broke long enough to allow the aurora to center stage. " Photo details: Kodak Royal Gold 200, 28mm Lens, 10-15 seconds, f1.8
	Tony Henderson, Kadina, South Australia Oct. 22	#1	T. Henderson spotted this rare Aurora Australis from latitude 34S "commencing at 8:20pm local time (Oct 22.45 UT) until clouds and rain spoiled the view around 9pm local time (Oct 22.48UT)." Photo details: Kodak 400 film, 40mm F/1.8 lens, 50 second exposure.
	Lyndon Anderson, near Bismarck, ND, USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4, more	L. Anderson: "These are from the night of October 22 - when I think a lot of us thought the show would be over. However, I saw a very beautiful show - one I'm glad that I didn't miss."
	Lyndon Anderson, near Bismarck, ND, USA Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, more	L. Anderson: "Two of the photos (#3 and #4) were taken at 7:45 p.m. while there was still sunlight in the sky. Visually, this was the prettiest scene. The photos don't [do it justice], however."
	Ronnie Sherrill, Troutman, NC, USA Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6	The auroras in North Carolina were so bright that R. Sherrill first saw them at 7:30 pm -- not long after sunset. By 10:30 pm the sky had "exploded into bright red with yellowish beams. What an awesome display!" says Sherrill. Details: 28mm f 3.5, 30 secs., Kodak 400 film
	Alex Roca & Angels Escuer, Hortoneda, Lerida, Spain Oct. 21	#1	This picture is extraordinary because the observers were at a very low magnetic latitude -- only 34 degrees north! Photo details: FUJI Superia 200 film, f 3.5, 35 mm, 30 sec exp.
	Hiroyuki Tsuda, Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan Oct. 21	#1, more	Photo details: Minolta a7700 camera, 24mm lens @ f/2.8, 300 sec exp on Kodak 400 film.
	John Russell, Nome, Alaska USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, more	J. Russell: "Nome was completely overcast all day. However at about 03:00 a.m. the clouds eased just a bit for a few minutes. I could see bright shades of green and nice patterns, but little colors otherwise. I could even see little Nome's light pollution carried by the haze, from almost 15 miles away. " Photo details: Nikkor 28mm @ f1.4, 10 to 13 seconds on Portra 800 film
	Stan Richard, central Iowa, USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6	S. Richard: "An incredible light show in central Iowa last nite! This is a small sample of the 60 shots I too." Photo details: Minolta SR-T101 camera, 28mm lens @ f/2.5, 20-30 sec exp on Fuji Superia 800 and Fuji NPZ 800.
	Roar Inge Hansen, near Bergen, Norway Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5	R. I. Hansen: "Yesterday's auroras were the most beautiful I have ever seen. They were located almost directly overhead." Photo details: Camera: Nikon FE, 28 mm f/2.8. Film: Fujichrome Provia 400F. Exposure time: 20-50 sec.
	Juha Kinnunen, near Jyväskylä, in central Finland Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4	J. Kinnunen: "The aurora became visible at 19.00 local time (16 UT), when the evening sky was still light blue. A dark red corona and strong, intense rays emerged at local midnight, lasting for almost an hour." Photo details: Nikkor 14mm/f2.8 and 28mm/f1.4, and Fuji Provia 400F.
	Dominic Cantin, Quebec, Canada Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, more	Photo details: 28 mm @ f 2.8, 25 sec exp., Fuji Superia 800 X-TRA.
	Todd Carlson, Uxbridge, ON, Canada Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5	T. Carlson: "The shot of my neighbor's grey house is facing due south into the lights of Toronto (note the Moon and Mars are in the photo, too). I was amazed by the fact that the auroras could be seen that well to the south of me." Photo details: 28mm, f2.8 for approximately 25 seconds, 800 film.
	Joe Polizzi, West Bend, WI, USA Oct. 22	#1	J. Polizzi: "The camera used was a Yashica Electro35 (seventies vintage) -- 8 sec. exposure at f2, Fuji 800 film. This is the best Aurora seen around here (NOT obscured by clouds, that is) in quite a while."
	Michel Benvenuto, L'Escarene, near Nice, France Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7	M. Benvenuto of the Astro Biniou Club: "To be noted is a greenish knot on the first picture, which I had seen in Iceland last winter without being able to catch on the film, and here it is now with some red underneath ." Photo details: 17mm at f/d 3.5 lens on Kodak Gold 1000. 10 to 20 min exp.
	Judit Fabian, Malletts Bay in Colchester, VT, USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3	J. Fabian: "When I looked out my window, the whole sky seemed to be red and green. [It was] the most intense display I have seen." Photo details: Canon EOS Elan 7, 19mm f/3.5 15-30 sec and 28 mm f/2.8 10-20 sec on Kodak Portra 300 film
	Jesús Ojeda, near St. Francis, WI, USA Oct. 22	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, more	J. Ojeda: "The best display I have ever seen!" Photo details: Nikon N80 camera, 28mm lens, f-stop 3.5, Fuji Superia 800 film, 15-30 second exposures
	Donatas Narbutis, Vilnius, Lithuania Oct. 23	#1,	D.Narbutis: "I captured my first picture of auroras at midnight from Vilnius city. The view was incredible! I was astonished by the dynamics of the display -- everything was constantly changing." Photo details: Fuji Superia 800, 58mm Lens, 60 seconds, f2.
	Robert Smith, near Stoneville, NC, USA Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, more	Photo details: Lens: 28mm 2.8. Film: Fujicolor Super HQ 200
	Debbie Kinloch and Mike Csorbay, near York, Ontario, Canada Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, more	D. Kinloch: "It was pretty foggy here in Southern Ontario, but the auroral display shone brightly through and even illuminated the fog. All photos 20-30 sec. Nikon FE. #1:15mm f3.5 Fuji Superia 800, #2, #3, #4: Kodak Max 400, #5 28mm f3.5 Kodak Gold 200."
	Colin Tyler Bogucki, near Forest Lake, Minnesota, USA Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, more	C. T. Bogucki captured these vivid images at 9:30pm local time.
	Garth Arsenault, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, more	G. Arsenault: "[I captured these] using my Canon AV-1 with a 28mm lens at f2.8 for 20-40 seconds and using Kodak 400 ASA Max film."
	Ryan Kramer, near Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4	R. Kramer: "The auroras were probably the most spectacular I have ever witnessed, it was like being under a giant canopy, aurora could be seen in the entire sky, including directly above and even within 30 degrees of the southern horizon." Photo details: Canon Rebel G camera, Kodak 400 ASA film
	Jouni Jussila, Oulu, Finland Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, more	J. Jussila: "Some of the red emissions were extremely bright with lots of structure. Totally beautiful!" Photo details: Canon EOS 5, Canon EF 24mm F/1.4 and Fuji Provia 400F film.
	Lionel Bernardi, L'Escarene, near Nice, France Oct. 21	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8	Says Michel Benvenuto of the Astro Biniou Club, who saw the show with Bernardi: "This was the brightest aurora I've ever seen at our latitude (44 deg. N)! Pulsating red and pink columns rose from the ground and some green could be seen on the horizon."
	Peter Vonbagh, Lake Saimaa, Finland Oct. 21	#1, #2	P. Vonbagh: "I was waiting for the Orionids, which didn't come, but instead I got a nice diffuse aurora show about 3 hours after local midnight."
	Mark Vornhusen, near Erding, Germany Oct. 21-22	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10	The auroras were so bright in Germany that photographer Mark Vornhusen saw them through the clouds. Photos #1 - #8 were recorded on Oct. 21st. #9 and #10 are from Oct. 22nd.
	Denis Joye, near Paris, France Oct. 21	#1	D. Joye captured this image of red auroras 30 km west of Paris at 23:20 local time using a EPSON PC3000Z digital camera with an 8 sec. exposure.
	David Zelden, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada Oct.21	#1, #2, #3, #4	D. Zelden: "At one point the entire northern horizon was ablaze in an eerie red and green curtain." Photo details: Canon EOS camera with 50mm lens, Konica 800 ASA film. Exposure time: 25 seconds.
	Timo Leponiemi, Hyvinkää, Finland Oct.22/23	#1, #2, #3, more	T. Leponiemi: "I noticed the northern lights at 7.30 P.M. local time. The display lasted all night. Red colors were intense." Photo details: Nikon FG and EM, Nikkor Fisheye 16 mm/f2.8 and Sigma 28mm/f1.8, Kodak Elitechrome 100 pushed to 2 stops to 400 ASA, appr. 50 sec. exposure time on Fisheye/ appr. 30 sec on 28 mm Sigma.
	Sébastien Giguère, Mount Megantic Park, Quebec, Canada Oct. 23	#1, #2	S. Giguère: "These two pictures were taken while the storm was subsiding. They are not the most spectacular shots, but the view was very nice. " Photo details: Nikon Coolpix 995

More information: The CME that hit Earth on Oct 21st left the Sun two days earlier. On Oct. 19th, when twisted magnetic fields above sunspot 9661 erupted powerfully -- not once, but twice -- at 0105 UT and again at 1635 UT. Both explosions unleashed category X1.6 solar flares and hurled lopsided coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth. The first of the expanding clouds hit Earth's magnetosphere on Oct. 21st at 1650 UT; the second may have arrived on Oct. 22nd -- unnoticed amid the ongoing geomagnetic storm.