More Memories (and photos) of Northern Lights

Thanks to digital photography and wonderful cameras, we are able to come home with some incredible photographic memories. I’ve shared some in earlier blog posts, but I’ve found so many more that are worthy of sharing. Some of these are mine and some are Brian's.

First, I should say that on nights when the aurora is less active, I am a much more successful photographer. When it suddenly becomes very bright or starts to move very fast, I can never get the camera settings changed quickly enough! So there is a trade-off. The camera allows me to capture the color and movement of the lights when they are building up to something special. Without the camera, I would not be able to see the layers of light in the ribbons, and the billowing waves of energy in the tall curtains. 

At times there are faint auroras. These might be as the lights begin or calm down at the end of the show. Sometimes there is a hint of aurora, but then it dissipates. With the camera's eye, I can glimpse the structure and color of the aurora just as a microscope opens up a world we cannot see.

This was on a night of full moon, wispy clouds and a slight aurora- still beautiful!

When the light show really starts, I tend to put down the camera and just enjoy the moment, for the experience of standing outside under the aurora to see the silent beauty of the moving lights is awesome in the true sense of the word. I hope you will all get to stand under the aurora to see the dancing northern lights.

This view of the aurora is to the southeast. In Churchill where we are located right under the auroral oval, you might see the aurora in any direction! Throughout the night it usually changes.

Although this radio tower is seldom the focus of my photos, on this night the aurora literally seemed to be swirling about it, even more so to my own eyes.