Amazing Northern Lights Pictures: July 2012

Aurora over Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. He writes: "Yet another sleepless night spent at Lake Minnewanka last night. And it was worth it. Immediately after returning to Banff from an evening ascent of Narao Peaks, I noticed the data looked good for a light show so I hastily made my way to my favorite aurora watching spot, Lake Minnewanka. The aurora danced on and off for hours. Most of the time it was barely visible to the naked eye, but now and then Mother Nature would put on a show that was hard to miss. The displays ranged from a very interesting, long-lasting pink streak directly overhead to wild green curls and purple pillars to the north and east."

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Jupiter, Venus and the Pleiades over Saint Cloud, MN

Doug Kiesling/WeatherPaparazzi.com

Doug Kiesling, "The Weather Paparazzi," took this shot of Jupiter, Venus, the Pleiades and a faint hint of aurora in the northeast skies over Saint Cloud, MN.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Jupiter, Venus and the Pleiades over Saint Cloud, MN #2

Doug Kiesling/WeatherPaparazzi.com

Doug Kiesling, "The Weather Paparazzi," took this shot of Jupiter, Venus, the Pleiades and a faint hint of aurora in the northeast skies over Saint Cloud, MN.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada

Paul Zizka Photography/www.zizka.ca

Night sky watcher Paul Zizka caught the aurora on July 9, 2012, at Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

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Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.