Thursday, October 10, 2024

Exceptional Aurora


 









While I do consider everything in nature to be special and extraordinary in its own way, there are some things that are even more exceptional.  And the aurora event on the night of October 7th and the morning of October 8th certainly fit that category in my mind. I have witnessed more aurora events than I can count in my 30+ years of photographing them, but this past week has left me with an even more awestruck sense of what nature is capable of. The sky was filled was such a variety of colors and shapes; even with the level of familiarity that I have with the northern lights, there were countless times throughout the night that I simply could not believe what I was seeing. They were that good. 

It looks like we're in for more of the same if not "better" tonight, so charge your camera batteries, take a nap if you can, and plan to head outside as soon as it gets dark!  Our forecast for northeast Minnesota is calling for mostly cloudy skies, but hopefully there will be some breaks in the clouds that will give us a chance to see what could be another truly exceptional event. 

If you haven't already, check out the book Spirits Dancing, which was written by Annette S. Lee and contains over 150 of my night sky images, as well as "Photographer's Notes" sections, which include some of my accounts of the night sky awesomeness that I've experienced over the years. Spirits Dancing was published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press and is available through most booksellers. 

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