Aurora Over Yellowknife

As seen on Astronomy Picture of the Day a picturesque lake lies in front of you with a beautiful green auroras flap high above you. Stars shine far in the distance, and a brilliant moon shines just ahead of you. This digitally fused panorama is captured from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, and includes the Pleiades open cluster of stars just to the upper right of the Moon. Early Autumn is known as aurora season for noted average increases in auroras. The reason for the yearly increase is not known for sure, but possibly relates to the tilt of the Earth creating a more easily traversable connection between the Earth’s magnetic field and the magnetic field of the Sun’s changing wind streams.