Bonus Night of Northern Lights

After the amazing lights on Monday night March 14th, we said goodbye to our last Arctic Skies group. On Tuesday night, there were only a handful of us left at CNSC- a very quiet place now. According to aurora forecasts, there was a stream of solar wind hitting Earth and probability was high for a great night of auroras. We kept looking out at the clear skies, until eventually everyone went to bed. Three of the younger crowd headed out to sleep in an igloo, and Brian headed to sleep.

Phil and two others slept here

I took one last look near midnight and the dancing lights appeared. No one left in the building wanted to get up, so I had the moment completely to myself. I did a little photographing outside, but I decided to opt for the comfort of the dome. As the colors started to dance and dart, almost like a beam of light from above, I had a 360 degree view of the heavens in complete comfort.

I brought the camera to the dome, something I've never done before. This is usually not a practical or polite thing to do with anyone else trying to share the space, but that night it did not matter. It was so much fun to experiment with ISO and with shutter speed with warm fingers. My photography skills are sadly lacking when it comes to a fast and active aurora, so usually I just look up and take it all in without fussing with the camera. In these photos (except for the ones at the top of the post, you see the lights dancing from the highest point at CNSC in the aurora dome.

Snow sculpture outside the igloo

Geomagnetic Storm Sparks Spectacular Show of Lights

My fellow volunteer Phil gazes at the skies

Last night, March 14/15, the skies over Churchill were filled with ribbons of light, tall billowing curtains of color, and pulsing coronas overhead. Like last week, it all started close to twilight. As the evening progressed, the aurora became more and more dramatic.

Checking Spaceweather.com, I learned something new about auroras, and in particular what forces brought us the visual treat of last night. It was a CIR, a co-rotating interaction region, which hit Earth's magnetic field and sparked bright auroras all around the Arctic region. Basically, CIRs are transition zones between slow and fast-moving solar wind streams.

Tonight, Earth is moving into a stream of high-speed solar wind following behind the CIR. Enjoy the rest of these photos. There will likely be another post if we can stay awake long enough to photograph it! Most have had minimal processing other than raising the exposure.

This was taken with a fisheye lens.

Snowmobile Excursion to the Boreal Forest

During each of the Arctic Skies learning vacations, there is an afternoon snowmobile excursion into the boreal forest. Churchill Northern Studies Centre sits on the edge of the tundra and the forest. I always love these excursions, as the trees give us protection and relief from the blowing winds.

Komatics were used to ferry us out to the site which was less than a mile away. A komatic is a giant sled which holds about 8 people. It is pulled behind a snowmobile. On this particular day the sun was shining and the trees were covered in snow. Actually, the trees are always covered in snow during the time we are here.

While there is very little or no snow in front of CNSC, you need snowshoes if you are going to step off from the packed snowmobile trail. Many people did try out snowshoes while others accepted a snowmobile ride through the forest.

My fellow volunteer Kate and I had some fun with a selfie (challenge with cold fingers) and reflections from her tinted goggles.

Staff members did a snow sampling demonstration for the ARctic Skies group. Each year, there is an Earthwatch team, and team members go out each day to sample the snowpack. I am always in awe of the dedication of those groups.

I always like to walk home through the forest and come out onto Launch Road. The rocket launchers are landmarks that make it impossible for even the most direction challenged- that would be me! The serenity and calm of the forest was quickly replaced with a very icy cold wind along the open roa. Hot chocolate was not far away though.

Fresh Air Frolics

Opportunities to get outside for some fresh air are always welcome. Going with a partner(s) is preferred, and we take a radio with us just in case. During the last week, I went outside on a few walks down Launch Road. Our front and side yards at CNSC feature the remnants of the Churchill Research (rocket) Range which was built in the late 50's to conduct research on the upper atmosphere. The rocket range is my typical choice when heading out for a walk.

There are two rocket launchers in background. The Aerobee launcher on the right is in the position of the last launch it made.

We all loved the clouds high above.

Our first stop was the giant snowpile made from plowed snow. A slide or possibly several slides, made for an exciting descent. I do not know this from personal experience, but it sure looks like fun.

We hiked out to one of the tundra ponds which are snow covered at this time. We haven't had as much wind I guess, for in past years many of the ponds had no snow cover. This whole area has many tundra ponds, but they aren't very deep. Mostly they are drainage for the tundra. Behind the Ramsey sign is a geocache which Brian checks regularly.

We visited some igloos constructed by an Earthwatch team (unfinished)  and a North of 58 group who had been at CNSC for a week. Some of the volunteers and participants did sleep out in the completed one.

Two of our fellow volunteers Bek and Kate slept out in this igloo. "Home 2016"

An unfinished igloo.- just needs a top

Kate, one of our fellow volunteers, is showing off some snow samples from different layers of the snow. What do you think? Hopefully I'll remember to put the info at the bottom of this post.

Kate is holding snow samples from the top and bottom layers in the snowpack.

Mostly we just enjoyed the fresh air and the beauty of the landscape. The strong prevailing winds leave constantly changing sculpted snow patterns. I'm sure you'll see more in other blog posts. Also, where the wind has swept all the snow away, I found some rocks! Couldn't resist an opportunity to include a rock photo.

And here is the info you have been waiting for about the snow samples. The snow on the right is from the bottom of the snowpack where it has morphed into larger crystals.

Solar Wind Sparks Awesome Aurora

On Sunday afternoon March 6th, there was growing excitement about the anticipated geomagnetic storm! A stream of solar wind from a coronal hole on the sun was about to arrive. We were in the right place, the waning moon would not be out until early morning, the wind was not much more than a gentle breeze, and the skies were clear! At twilight, we began to search the skies for a hint of coming lights. It did not take long since the lights were already dancing above us, just waiting for darkness to begin their show.

Aurora was all around us at different points in the night. At home in Maine or Massachusetts, we would look north if we wanted to see the aurora. Since we are located directly under the auroral oval in Churchill (58 degrees north), the aurora could appear in any direction including south if it was a powerful storm. The auroral oval (think doughnut) bulges during a geomagnetic storm, allowing folks much farther south to see it.

Brian was out taking souvenir photos for the guests and painting their faces with light. Below is a group photo of our volunteers. There is a giant snowpile that provided both a tremendous viewing spot and some terrific slides. Lots of laughter filled the air. Since I haven't climbed the snowpile in the daytime, I thought that darkness would provide a dangerous first attempt. I'll wait until another day.

The lights appeared in the early evening and were still going strong when I went to bed at 2 am. You can see that it took a couple days to catch up on sleep in order to find time for editing photos and blogging. Enjoy the photos.

Auroral Light Delight

At this point, I've been in Churchill for about 12 days, and I thought it was time to share what we have been seeing in the night sky some nights. We've been keeping an eye out for auroras with the help of many other folks who are staying at the center in some capacity.  Here is the sign on our bedroom door for those times when we hope someone else will be paying attention.

In an earlier post, I shared the photos that Brian had taken before I arrived. This year I have been braving the elements to take some of my own. Brian has been very patient in trying to get me up to speed. Many thanks to David Marx and Jim Halfpenny who were up here leading a dedicated photography group. With their encouragement and patience, both Brian and I are learning better strategies for photographing and editing aurora photos.  Again, there is a lot to this!

Out in front of CNSC

Enjoy the photos. They most certainly have been processed. With the long exposures needed for aurora photography, the camera collects more light than our eyes can perceive. The photos reveal more color than I see, so it is always exciting to take a look at your own photos the next day. I feel a bit like an artist painting with light, trying to recreate the magic of standing under the northern lights.

Last night about one in the morning, the northern lights danced around the heavens. More below.

In the daytime, this is also one of my favorite views from the side deck.

You can see from the foreground that the aurora was getting stronger, reflecting off the snowy tundra.

The white fuzzy spot is Jupiter.

A band or ribbon of light- a common sight during auroras. There is often a slight twist to it.

More to come as I have fun processing my photos