Alaska 'Daylight' Aurora and The Andromeda Galaxy

Alaska 'Daylight' Aurora and The Andromeda Galaxy

Astrophotographer John Chumack: "Sometimes the northern lights occur overhead when it is still daylight, but because of the bright blue sky when the Sun is up, we do not see them. However, I was able to capture this charming daylight aurora outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, on March 22, 2025. The Sun had just set, and so the sky was just dark enough to detect it with the human eye."

"Note that the Andromeda Galaxy (our sister galaxy) is visible on the left center edge of the frame. At approximately 2.2 million light years away, it is considered the furthest object the human eye can see without optical aid."

Photo Details: Canon DSLR camera; 16-35mm lens set to 25mm; F2.8; ISO 3200; 8 seconds exposure.

Auroras happen when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field, creating dazzling light shows in the sky. The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, occurs in an upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the ionosphere.

Learn more & track auroras: 
https://www.aurorasaurus.org

How to find and photograph auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/feature/nasas-guide-to-finding-and-photographing-auroras/

Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the United States. It borders the Canadian territory of the Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. 

Image Credit: John Chumack
Text Credit: John Chumack
John's website: https://www.galacticimages.com
Capture Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Coordinates: 64.8401, -147.7200
Release Date: Aug. 18, 2025

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