Miscellaneous astro photos

Aurorae

Aurorae or polar lights are natural light displays in the night sky, typically in the ionosphere.  Aurorae are produced by the collision of charged particles (solar wind) from the Earth’s magnetosphere. Temporarily, when a strong magnetic storm arises, these phenomena can also be seen in temperate (northern) latitudes.

Aurora bor. from 47° lat.,
30 October 2003
Aurora bor. from 47° lat.,
20 November 2003

Halos

Halos are optical light phenomena that appear near strong light sources like the Sun or Moon. Atmospheric phenomena such as rainbows and parhelia are wellknown effects.

Halo with sun dogs
15 February 2020
Halo with sun dogs
2 March 2014
Cloud iridescence
6 February 2011
Cloud iridescence, Milos, Greece
20 April 2014
Sun pillar
22 October 2011
Hannes Gruber as Brocken spectre
18 November 2010

Rainbows

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.

Double rainbow (Katzelsdorf)
25 June 2020
Low rainbow (Güssing)
20 April 2014

Noctilucent clouds (NLC)

Night clouds or noctilucent clouds are tenuous cloud-like phenomena that are the “ragged-edge” of a much brighter and pervasive polar cloud layer called polar mesospheric clouds in the upper atmosphere, visible in a deep twilight. They are made of crystals of water ice. They are most commonly observed in the summer months at latitudes between 50° and 70° north and south of the equator. They can only be observed when the Sun is below the horizon.

17 July 2017
22 July 2009
24 June 2007
28 June 2015
21 July 2009