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Aurora over Pinedale April 23, 2023, around midnight. View from Orcutt Hill overlooking Pinedale. Photo courtesy Bob Rule. NOAA Space Weather

Bob Rule sent in this picture of the aurora as seen from Pinedale on Sunday night, April 23rd. "Two or three hours before that, it had white columns going up to the top of the sky," he said. These are commonly seen at the earth’s poles, but are rarer to see from Wyoming. Auroras are caused when charged particles released from the sun collide with gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Variations in color are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center posts predictions for where auroras might be seen from places in the United States to give sky watchers a heads up to favorable nights for viewing. More information can be found at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/