What an amazing week its been for the aurora! I can't remember the last time I've lost this much sleep in one week. While I have been in a fairly extreme sleep deficit for much of the past 7 days, the scenes I've witnessed have been worth it. Enjoy :-)
The sky had this really strange mix of haze and cloud cover on the night of October 10th-11th, but that didn't stop the G4-level aurora storm from putting on an impresive show. This photo was made at 3:03 AM in the wilds of northwest Ontario, Canada.
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.
One of the best aurora "funnel clouds" that I've ever seen. This photo was made at 11:34 PM on October 7th, 2024. That night might be the new "#1 night" on my list of best experiences that I've had witnessing and photographing the northern lights. The beauty in the sky that night was unparalleled, and it lasted all night. It was soooooo hard to make the call to end the night to try and get at least a little sleep. It sounds like we may get some more awesome activity tomorrow night (October 10th), so keep your eyes on the sky!
Well... after resigning to the idea that the strong aurora storm that was forecast a few days ago was NOT going to come to pass... guess what happened last night! By 9:00 PM the aurora was going strong, filling at least 60 to 70 percent of the sky. It was one of those nights where it was hard to decide which way to point the camera. Fascinating stuff was happening in almost every corner of the sky. I have LOTS more to share from last night, but you'll have to wait until later this week. Right now I need to get some rest as I need to work in the morning. But... I wanted to edit one photo to share with you right away. I hope you were able to get out and witness this incredible show.
After a forecast that got us all very, VERY excited (i.e. the second-strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25!) followed by several nights of waiting in eager anticipation with nothing happening, the aurora finally arrived. Unfortunately, the impact was much less than what was originally anticipated. Still, it was a very beautiful night with lots of color in the sky and a nice arc of light running along the northern horizon. I spent about 3-4 hours watching and photographing the lights. Now that we're into October the nights are getting a little cooler and it was somewhat chilly as I sat and watched the show. The temperature was 35 degrees with a stiff breeze out of the north. Personally, I love the cooler weather. September was quite a bit warmer and drier than normal, so its nice now to feel some weather that is more appropriate for the season.
As weird of a fall as it's been, I gotta say... the colors have been pretty impressive this year. The maples are past their peak now, but here's a few photos from this past week when they were looking their best. What an amazing time of year!
