An interplanetary shock wave from the Sun struck Earth's magnetosphere just before the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2000, triggering a powerful geomagnetic storm. The shock wave originated from a full halo coronal mass ejection that was observed leaving the Sun by the LASCO C3 coronagraph (Top figure) on August 9. Stargazers across Canada and the United States were treated to the rare spectacle of a meteor shower seen against the backdrop of colorful Northern Lights. The spectacular fish-eye view on the right was taken near Victoria BC (Canada) at approximately 3:45am PDT August 12 2000. Photo details: Nikon 90FX camera with 16mm/2.8 full-frame fisheye lens; Fuji Superia 200 film; 30 seconds exposure at f/2.8

Credit: David Lee, Island View Beach, Victoria, BC, Canada
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