A solar wind stream hit Earth on January 30th. It was a minor gust, but enough to spark these Northern Lights over Tromsø, Norway:

Image
© Helge Mortensen
I was out taking some pictures of the landscape in full moonlight when the auroras decided to show up!" says photographer Helge Mortensen. "A 2.5 second exposure with my Canon 40D at ISO 800 nicely revealed the lights through the clouds."

Another solar wind stream is coming--and it's probably quite a bit stronger than this one was. Sky watchers should be alert for auroras when it arrives on or about Feb. 10th.