Aurora Brought by Solar Wind on Friday the 13th

Look for the cloud bank above the horizon.

This will be a Friday the 13th that will live in my memory. It could not have been a more perfect day. If you saw the last post about Bluesky Dogsledding, that was how we spent the afternoon.

At the start of the evening, the weather forecast was not promising at all, and it seemed unlikely there would be any clear skies. There was solar activity expected to be affecting us soon, but if the sky is cloudy, it does not matter how much auroral magic is happening up there You won't see it.

After dinner, I made a quick trip to the dome and was able to see a fuzzy Jupiter, but not a single star. Off I went to a wonderful photography lecture by David Marx. Jim Halfpenny and David Marx are leading a fabulous photography workshop focusing on the art of photographing the aurora. Suddenly we heard footsteps running in the hallway- usually a good sign that there is something worth seeing outside. Well the heavens had cleared, and the stars were magnificent. It wasn't long before a band of aurora was coloring the sky.

Within half an hour the show was on. During the next 3 hours we were treated to almost constant auroral delights. Not only was it a beautiful night sky, but it was a beautiful night down at ground level too. There was almost no wind, and this is a pretty rare thing up here. The temperature was a little above zero, which is also the warmest we have experienced in our time in Churchill.

Throughout the night, we changed lenses, sometimes using the fisheye lens. This lens allows you to take in more of the sky than you could otherwise see. For me,  I love to see the larger picture of the movement of the aurora.

Several Volunteers Viewing from atop the Giant Snowpile

At some point during the night, I walked out to the pond for the first time ever. Members of the photography group were heading out there, and I very gratefully went along with them. I was surprised by the quiet! It really never seems noisy near CNSC, but somehow being surrounded by only the pond and the forest accentuated the stillness of the night. Aurora danced all around us, and at times created a cathedral of light up above. So thankful to be in this very spot on the best Friday the 13th ever!

Look for the Big Dipper in the top center of this photo.

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