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Night On the Little Piney

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This night was one of those times when I had a sudden urge to wander around with my camera at 1AM. It was the first night that really felt like summer. Full darkness did not come until after 11 and the Milky Way rose shortly afterwards. A strong breeze shook the trees, but it was a warm wind. As much as possible I kept my headlamp off and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. The longer I looked the more I could see and hear. Beside Little Piney Creek I found a calm reflection.
The stripes of green crossing the sky are not aurora, but rather airglow. Airglow is a chemical reaction high in Earth's atmosphere and it happens anywhere that skies are dark enough. While easy to photograph, it's hard to actually see. Studies have shown that airglow is brightest when solar activity is high. After the crazy month of May the Sun just had, it’s no surprise it was so visible.

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Kevin Palmer
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6048x4024 / 21.5MB
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This night was one of those times when I had a sudden urge to wander around with my camera at 1AM. It was the first night that really felt like summer. Full darkness did not come until after 11 and the Milky Way rose shortly afterwards. A strong breeze shook the trees, but it was a warm wind. As much as possible I kept my headlamp off and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. The longer I looked the more I could see and hear. Beside Little Piney Creek I found a calm reflection. <br /> The stripes of green crossing the sky are not aurora, but rather airglow. Airglow is a chemical reaction high in Earth's atmosphere and it happens anywhere that skies are dark enough. While easy to photograph, it's hard to actually see. Studies have shown that airglow is brightest when solar activity is high. After the crazy month of May the Sun just had, it’s no surprise it was so visible.