The past few weeks have been full of auroral promises. Not many have come true. So, for those who are in dire need of some aurora, here are some pictures of a previous solar storm result.
For sure, these pictures have been treated somewhat, although nothing was done to make them look unnatural.
It is a well-known fact that cameras see auroras much better than we humans do. The camera’s “eye” is only 8-10 times larger than our human eyes, so that might count for something.
Aurora over the town
Now, I have blogged about the mechanics of an aurora before, so I’m not going to repeat that. You’re safe… The first time I got to see an aurora was in Manitoba, in winter, some 15 years ago. At first, I was not very impressed with the phenomenon.
The spikes
But somehow, this grows on you, and after a few times, there is no way that you can escape the “pull” of an aurora. The same happened to me. Every time an aurora was promised, I could be found on some back road somewhere, trying to get a glimpse of the lights.
Simple green
In Manitoba, most of the auroras I have seen were simple green, bordering on yellow-ish. Here in Nova Scotia, the ones that were visible, were predominantly red. Even if some of them still show as simple green, like the one I got above, over the River Mersey.
Backyard shot
The storm of October 2024 was strong enough to show the aurora even over the powerful street lights and house lights. But unlike the green variety that is clearly visible, the red aurora was boosted by the camera to become what is shown here. That is because the human eye is more sensitive to green than to red.
Red and green
Up until this point, I don’t think that boosting the reds in these pictures is torturing the truth. With the naked eye, they were faint, including the “spikes” that were nearly overhead. The green part in the above shot was clear to see, the red – not so much.
The house under an aurora
Then I decided to shoot the house, with the lights and all. Something that would have been unthinkable in Winnipeg when I lived there. I did have to darken my yard light a little, as that one was overwhelming. The night of October 10, 2024, was a great night for the aurora.
Over the swamp
The red was a first for me. For once that the forecasters got it right… Other times, like in this last picture, the aurora is less exuberant, making it more of a hunt than just “shooting from your backyard”.
While I was under the impression when I moved here that auroras were a thing of the past for me, the fever has been reignited. Now, if only the forecasts could be more accurate…
Until next time…