Auroral Surprises

So, we continue to be surprisingly short of auroras, due to clouds earlier on, now a full moon, and not too much solar activity. However, two nights ago, when we downloaded pictures from our camera, we found some surprises that we hadn't seen with our eyes! The camera catches more color due to the long exposures. I took the first photo on a night when the aurora had faded. I had gotten out there a bit too late (2 am). This was the middle of the night, and it takes a few minutes to get up and dressed! I was disappointed to see that the aurora appeared to be gone. I just pointed the camera at the sky and took a few photos to practice some camera skills in cold weather. As it turned out, the aurora had not faded entirely. See below. It was not quite as bright as this outside, but the moonlight reflecting off the snow covered landscape had created a fair amount of light.

  
On the evening after the full moon, Brian set up the camera to photograph the rising moon, thinking he would make a time lapse video. He did, and it is on his blog. Here is one photo from it, and lo and behold, the aurora was there!

Many people are disillusioned to learn that the photos of the aurora are not what the photographer might actually have seen. Last year, I was in that camp of thinkers when we first learned this. However, I have come to delight in the discovery of what the camera lens has seen and recorded. The aurora is there, and the camera is allowing me to see it. The camera often shows more definition in the curtains of light, so you can appreciate the movement of the waves along the curtain. The camera also allows you to see more height in the curtain. Having said all of that, there is no photograph that can capture the experience of standing outside under the auroral oval, watching the lights dance around the sky. The silence and the surprise add to the feeling of a unique and awesome moment in time.