Barred Spiral Aurora by Chris Kelly
Barred Spiral Aurora (Chris Kelly)

Barred Spiral Aurora by Chris Kelly

Will you see an aurora tonight? It could win Photo of the Week.

Photo of the Week for November 11, 2016

The northern lights can appear in a surprising range of shapes and forms, but rarely do we see a photo like this one showing an aurora bearing a remarkable resemblance to a barred-spiral galaxy. Chris Kelly captured the image on October 25, 2016, from a location overlooking the Beaufort Sea, in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. If the name of this remote hamlet sounds familiar, it might be because it was the site that some chose for viewing the July 10, 1972, total eclipse of the Sun.

Barred Spiral Aurora by Chris Kelly
Barred Spiral Aurora (Chris Kelly)

Chris used a tripod-mounted Nikon D3100 DSLR camera fitted with a Nikkor 18-55mm zoom lens (set to 18mm and f/3.5) for this 15-second exposure at ISO1600.