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Aurora { 857 images } Created 18 Feb 2011

A gallery of images of aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights, often with foreground landscapes. This gallery is presented in chronological order, with the newest images first or at top.
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  • This is a 270° panorama of the auroral arc seen across the northern sky on January 14, 2023. It is framed between the setting summer Milky Way (at left in the northwest) and the rising winter Milky Way (at right in the southeast). <br />
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To the west (right) of the winter Milky Way is Orion, with Sirius below, while above is Aldebaran, the Hyades, reddish Mars, and the blue Pleiades at upper right. The Big Dipper and Ursa Major are above the main arc of aurora to the north at centre. Polaris is at top, left of centre. Cygnus (with the star Deneb) and Lyra (with the star Vega) are setting at left above my house. <br />
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The auroral arc shows the characteristic yellow-green colour but also upper altitude reds, both from oxygen atoms. The Kp index was about 4 this night, though peaking to Kp5 at times. Clouds rolling in later prevented me from catching more of the show later when it apparently got more active. <br />
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Taken from home in southern Alberta (latitude 51° N) on January 14, 2023, in a 7-section panorama, each section with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 on the AstroGear filter-modified Canon R at ISO 800, for 20 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. I was testing the Canon R camera this night.
    Aurora Panorama from Home (Jan 14, 2...jpg
  • A bright green auroral arc with prominent red curtains, to the east in front of the winter stars rising. with bright Mars below centre and the Pleiades at top right. This was from home in Alberta on September 26, 2022. <br />
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This is a tracked 10-second exposure with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and at f/2, on the Canon R5 at ISO 2500.
    Green and Red Auroral Curtains (Sept...jpg
  • An illustration of a red auroral curtain mixing with the green auroral arc to make an area of yellow-orange in the aurora this night. This was from home in Alberta on September 26, 2022. It frames the stars of Taurus rising with bright Mars at left and the Hyades star cluster at right. <br />
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This is a tracked 30-second exposure with the Rokinon RF85mm lens at f/2, on the Canon R5 at ISO 800.
    Green and Red Aurora Mixing (Sept 26...jpg
  • A fish-eye image of the aurora of Sept. 26/27, 2022, from home in Alberta, with the Milky Way across the sky from south to north, and a vey dim red SAR (Stable Auroral Red) arc crossing the sky from east to west overhead.<br />
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This is a single 30-second exposure with the TTArtisan 7.5mm lens at f/2 on the Canon R6 at ISO 2000. Taken as part of a time-lapse sequence to look for the development of a SAR arc or STEVE.
    Aurora and Milky Way (Sept. 26, 2022...jpg
  • Mars (at left in the thin band of cloud) and the stars of Taurus rising amid an aurora, on September 26, 2022. The Hyades is at right. <br />
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This is a single tracked 30-second exposure with the RF85mm Rokinon lens at f/2 on the Canon R5 at ISO 1000.
    Mars RIsing in an Aurora (Sept 26, 2...jpg
  • A Kp4-level aurora to the north with a STEVE arc to the east with traits of a red SAR arc as well. Taken from home as part of a time-lapse sequence, August 29, 2022, with the Canon R6 and Venus Optics Laowa 15mm lens at f/2 for 20 seconds at ISO 1600. This shows the green picket fence fingers.
    Aurora with STEVE - 4 (Aug 29, 2022).jpg
  • A Kp4-level aurora to the north with a STEVE arc to the east with traits of a red SAR arc as well. Taken from home as part of a time-lapse sequence, August 29, 2022, with the Canon R6 and Venus Optics Laowa 15mm lens at f/2 for 20 seconds at ISO 1600.
    Aurora with STEVE - 3 (Aug 29, 2022).jpg
  • A Kp4-level aurora to the north with a STEVE arc to the east with traits of a red SAR arc as well. Taken from home as part of a time-lapse sequence, August 29, 2022, with the Canon R6 and Venus Optics Laowa 15mm lens at f/2 for 20 seconds at ISO 1600.
    Aurora with STEVE - 2 (Aug 29, 2022).jpg
  • A Kp4-level aurora to the north with a STEVE arc to the east with traits of a red SAR arc as well. Taken from home as part of a time-lapse sequence, August 29, 2022, with the Canon R6 and Venus Optics Laowa 15mm lens at f/2 for 20 seconds at ISO 1600.
    Aurora with STEVE - 1 (Aug 29, 2022).jpg
  • A panorama of a colouful Kp4 level aurora on August 28, 2022, from home in southern Alberta (latitude 51° N). It shows the classic oxygen yellow-greens topped by oxygen reds, but with magentas and blues at left to the northwest where sunlight might still be interacting with the auroral curtains. In this panorama, the upper curtains also take on an orange hue. Above the main curtains are some blobs of pulsating green patches. <br />
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The Big Dipper and Arcturus are at left. Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda and Pegasus are at centre and at right. Jupiter is the bright object rising at right. Saturn is the dimmer object at far right. <br />
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This is a panorama of 8 segments, each 10 seconds at f/2.8 with the RF15-35mm lens at 15mm and Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Stitched with PTGui as Camera Raw and Photoshop refused to either stitch all segments (ACR) or provided a distorted projection (PS Photomerge).
    Aurora from Home Panorama 2 (Aug 28,...jpg
  • An arc of a Kp4 level aurora on August 28, 2022, from home in southern Alberta (latitude 51° N), showing the classic oxygen greens topped by oxygen reds, but with magentas and blues at left to the northwest where sunlight might still be interacting with the auroral curtains. <br />
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The Big Dipper and Arcturus are at left. Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda and Pegasus are at right. Jupiter is the bright object rising at far right. <br />
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This is a panorama of 5 segments, each 20 seconds at f/2.8 with the RF15-35mm lens at 15mm and Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Stitched with PTGui as Camera Raw and Photoshop refused to either stitch all segments (ACR) or provided a distorted projection (PS Photomerge). PTGui did a good job but is still inconsistent in retaining all the EXIF image data.
    Aurora from Home Panorama 1 (Aug 28,...jpg
  • This captures a panorama of the northern sky over the foreground landscape of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, with the waning Moon rising, and an arc of Northern Lights above the northern horizon. A Kp6 show was forecast for this night but nothing spectacular materialized -- we had just a quiescent arc across the north. <br />
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This was on the night of August 17-18, 2022. The Moon rising at right is the last quarter Moon. Jupiter is the bright object at far right. The Big Dipper and Arcturus are at left; Polaris is at upper left of centre; Cassiopeia and Perseus are at right of centre; while Andromeda and Pegasus are at right. The Andromeda Galaxy is above the Moon. <br />
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This is a panorama of a blend of 6 tracked (for the sky) and 6 untracked (for the ground) exposures: 2 minutes at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 for the ground and shadow detail, and  1 minute at f/2.8 and ISO 800 for the sky, all with the stock Canon R5 and RF15-35mm lens set at 19mm and the camera turned in portrait orientation. Spacing of the segments was at 30° intervals. The panorama segments for the ground and sky were stitched with Adobe Camera Raw into two panoramas using the same settings, then masked and blended with Photoshop. An additional short exposure of the segment with the Moon in it was blended in to reduce the bright Moon glare. <br />
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The camera was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. <br />
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The AstroPanel v6 extension panel and its excellent Hot Pixel removal action was used to suppress the abundance of hot pixels in the ground image, resulting from this being a very warm night, and my need to take the image set fast before the Moon rose too high -- so I did not use in-camera Long Exposure Noise Reduction, though I should have! I added a mild Orton effect glow with Luminar AI.<br />
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The original is 18,800 by 6,500 pixels.
    Moonrise and the Northern Stars at D...jpg
  • The Kp5 aurora of August 7-8, 2022 in its post sub-storm phase after an appearance of STEVE. The aurora was flickering and pulsating to the north and east at this time. A red pillar appeared for a while at right. At left are dim blue pillars. <br />
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This is a single 13-second exposure with the Canon R6 and TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
    Post-Sub-Storm Aurora v2 (Aug 8, 202...jpg
  • The Kp5 aurora of August 7-8, 2022 in its post sub-storm phase after an appearance of STEVE. The aurora was flickering and pulsating to the north and east at this time. The patch at top was part of the pulsating effect, appearing briefly for this frame but not in the frame before or after. <br />
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This is a single 13-second exposure with the Canon R6 and TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
    Post-Sub-Storm Aurora v1 (Aug 8, 202...jpg
  • A dim Perseid meteor (at top) streaking near the Milky Way on the night of Aug 7-8, 2022, taken as part of a time-lapse set for the STEVE auroral arc in frame as the pink band. The Summer Triangle stars are at right. Light from the low gibbous Moon lights the sky. <br />
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This is a single 30-second exposure at f/3.2 with the RF15-35mm lens at 20mm and Canon R5 at ISO 1250. The camera was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. The focus is a little soft!
    Perseid Meteor and STEVE (Aug 7-8, 2...jpg
  • A portrait of the infamous STEVE arc of hot flowing gas associated with an active aurora, here showing his distinctive pink colour and the fleeting appearance of the green picket fence fingers that often show up hanging down from the main arc. On this night the green fingers lasted no more than two minutes. STEVE = Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and is a river of hot gas flowing east to west equatorward of the main aurora band. <br />
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This is a tracked single image looking straight up, and framing the Summer Triangle stars at right and the Milky Way. Moonlight from the setting waxing gibbous Moon lights the sky, as does the bright aurora to the north. <br />
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This is a 30-second exposure with the Canon R5 at ISO 1250 and the RF15-35mm lens at f/3.2, with the camera on a Star Adventurer Mini tracker. The focus is a little soft but the image serves to illustrate the phenomenon. The frame is part of a short time-lapse sequence.
    STEVE Arc with Green Fingers (Aug 7,...jpg
  • A portrait of the infamous STEVE arc of hot flowing gas associated with an active aurora, here showing his distinctive pink colour and the fleeting appearance of the green picket fence fingers that often show up hanging down from the main arc. On this night the green fingers lasted no more than two minutes. STEVE = Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and is a river of hot gas flowing east to west equatorward of the main aurora band. STEVE appeared after the main Kp5-level aurora died down in activity to the north, typical behaviour for STEVE. He was visible for only 35 to 40 minutes, again typical. <br />
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This is a single untracked image looking straight up, and taking in most of the summer sky using a fish-eye lens. Moonlight from the setting waxing gibbous Moon lights the sky, as does the bright aurora to the north, visible at left. The Summer Triangle stars are at centre at the zenith; Jupiter is the bright object rising at lower left in the southeast. <br />
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This is a 20-second exposure with the Canon Ra at ISO 1600 and the TTArtisan 7.5mm lens at f/2. The frame is part of a time-lapse sequence.
    STEVE Arc All-Sky with Green Fingers...jpg
  • A portrait of the infamous STEVE arc of hot flowing gas associated with an active aurora, here showing his distinctive pink colour and the fleeting appearance of the green picket fence fingers that often show up hanging down from the main arc. On this night the green fingers lasted no more than two minutes. STEVE = Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and is a river of hot gas flowing east to west equatorward of the main aurora band. STEVE appeared after the main Kp5-level aurora died down in activity to the north, typical behaviour for STEVE. He was visible for only 35 to 40 minutes, again typical. <br />
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This is a single untracked image looking high in the south, and taking in most of the summer sky using a full-frame fish-eye lens. Moonlight from the setting waxing gibbous Moon in the southwest lights the sky, as does the bright aurora to the north, just visible at upper left. The Summer Triangle stars are at centre at the zenith; Jupiter is the bright object rising at lower left in the southeast. <br />
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This is a single 25-second exposure with the Canon R6 at ISO 1250 and the TTArtisan 11mm lens at f/2.8. The frame is part of a short time-lapse sequence.
    STEVE Arc Wide-Angle with Green Fing...jpg
  • One of a series of images showing the STEVE arc appearing in the east and developing brighter. This was August 7-8, 2022, from southern Alberta, Canada at about 12:25 am MDT. This shows a faint green-white band on the left edge of the main pink arc. <br />
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The sky at left to the northeast is bright with aurora, and twilight. Also, the waxing gibbous Moon off frame at right lights the sky and landscape. The bright object rising is Jupiter. <br />
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This is with the Canon R6 at ISO 1600, for 25 seconds, and TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8.
    STEVE Appearance Sequence-4 of 4 (Au...jpg
  • One of a series of images showing the STEVE arc appearing in the east and developing brighter. This was August 7-8, 2022, from southern Alberta, Canada at about 12:21 am MDT. This shows a white band developing to the left of the pink arc, and a brief lighting up of the sky north (left) of STEVE with a green patchy aurora. <br />
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The sky at left to the northeast is bright with aurora, and twilight. Also, the waxing gibbous Moon off frame at right lights the sky and landscape. The bright object rising is Jupiter. <br />
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This is with the Canon R6 at ISO 1600, for 25 seconds, and TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8.
    STEVE Appearance Sequence-3 of 4 (Au...jpg
  • One of a series of images showing the STEVE arc appearing in the east and developing brighter. This was August 7-8, 2022, from southern Alberta, Canada at about 12:19 am MDT. This shows a faint green picket-fence fingers and a white band to the left of the main pink arc. <br />
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The sky at left to the northeast is bright with aurora, and twilight. Also, the waxing gibbous Moon off frame at right lights the sky and landscape. The bright object rising is Jupiter. <br />
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This is with the Canon R6 at ISO 1600, for 25 seconds, and TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8.
    STEVE Appearance Sequence-2 of 4 (Au...jpg
  • One of a series of images showing the STEVE arc appearing in the east and developing brighter. This was August 7-8, 2022, from southern Alberta, Canada at about 12:11 am MDT.<br />
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The sky at left to the northeast is bright with aurora, and twilight. Also, the waxing gibbous Moon off frame at right lights the sky and landscape. The bright object rising is Jupiter. <br />
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This is with the Canon R6 at ISO 1600, for 25 seconds, and TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8.
    STEVE Appearance Sequence-1 of 4 (Au...jpg
  • A display of a Kp-5 aurora near its peak of activity on August 7, 2022, taken from home in southern Alberta, over the wheatfield next to my acreage. STEVE appeared later this night. <br />
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Moonlight from the waxing gibbous Moon low in the southwest illuminates the scene. The stars of Perseus are at centre. Capella is at lower left. Andromeda and Messier 31 are at upper right. Alas, no Perseid meteor appeared on cue for this image, though the meteor shower was underway. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, and Canon RF15-35mm lens at 23mm and f/2.8 for 8 seconds.
    Aurora over Wheatfield (Aug 7, 2022).jpg
  • An arc of a Kp-5 aurora over a wheatfield from home in southern Alberta. The panorama takes in the northern stars, from the Big Dipper and Ursa Major at left, to the W of Cassiopeia at top right of centre, with Perseus below Cassiopeia, and Andromeda and Pegasus at right. Moonlight from the waxing gibbous Moon low in the southwest illuminates the scene. Jupiter is rising at far right low in the southeast. This was taken when the display was at its most active. An hour later as it was fading STEVE appeared in a fabulous show. <br />
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This is a panorama of 7 segments with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, and Canon RF15-35mm lens at 18mm and f/2.8 for 25 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Auroral Arc Panorama (Aug 7, 2022).jpg
  • An arc of a Kp-5 aurora early in the evening just starting a show, but with a fading display of noctilucent clouds low in the north as well. An unusual combination to get them both, and this was the latest sighting of NLCs for me from my latitude of 51° N. Capella is low at centre, with the stars of Perseus above. <br />
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Moonlight from the waxing gibbous Moon low in the southwest illuminates the scene. Taken from home in southern Alberta, Canada. <br />
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This is a panorama of 9 segments with the Canon R5 at ISO 400, and Canon RF15-35mm lens at 35mm and f/2.8 for 25 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Auroral Arc and Noctilucent Clouds (...jpg
  • A Kp 5 level aurora seen from home on July 22-23, 2022, amid clouds, but showing nice red and magenta pillars.   This is a 3-section panorama with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 800, for 30 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Aurora from Home Panorama v2 (July 2...jpg
  • A Kp 5 level aurora seen from home on July 22-23, 2022, amid clouds, but showing nice magenta pillars.   This is a 3-section panorama with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 800, for 30 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Aurora from Home Panorama (July 22-2...jpg
  • A Kp 5 level aurora seen from home on July 22-23, 2022, amid clouds, but showing nice red and magenta pillars.   This is a single image with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 800, for 30 seconds.
    Aurora from Home (July 22-23, 2022).jpg
  • A subtle and pastel aurora borealis (Northern Lights) in the northeast, above a prairie meadow at "Lone Tree Hill". The foreground and sky are lit by a bright waxing gibbous Moon, a day before Full, shining in the south.   This was just after midnight on July 11/12, 2022. The auroral curtains exhibit the usual green band and rays, though with shades of green visible, perhaps from hydrogen-beta proton emission as well as oxygen electron emission, but also upper altitude reds and purples and a faint blue tint at the very tops where the aurora is lit by the Sun. The aurora was never bright this night (Kp Index was 3 or 4 at best) and even this level of intensity lasted only a couple of minutes.   The stars of Perseus and Andromeda are framed here in the northeast.   This is a single untracked exposure of 20 seconds, with the RF28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/4, and with the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Taken from near home in southern Alberta, Canada, latitude 51° N. Wind this night kept the mosquitoes off but did blur the foreground flowers. A mild Orton effect added selectively to the scene with Luminar AI.
    Aurora in Moonlight at Lone Tree Hil...jpg
  • An arc of modest aurora borealis (Northern Lights) across the northern horizon, above a prairie meadow in the light of a bright waxing gibbous Moon, a day before Full.   This was just after midnight on July 11/12, 2022 when the sky was also still lit by summer twilight colours, and with a weak display of noctilucent clouds also visible low in the northwest at left. The auroral curtains exhibit the usual green band and rays, but also upper altitude reds and purples and a faint blue tint at the very tops where the aurora is lit by the Sun. The aurora was never bright this night (Kp Index was 3 or 4 at best) and even this level of intensity lasted only a couple of minutes, just enough time to shoot the panorama segments.   The stars of Perseus and Andromeda are at right rising in the northeast; some stars of Ursa Major are at left in the northwest. Capella in Auriga shines at centre almost due north.   This is a panorama of 6 segments, each 20 seconds, with the RF28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/4, and with the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Taken from near home in southern Alberta, Canada, latitude 51° N. Wind this night kept the mosquitoes off but did blur the foreground flowers. A mild Orton effect added to the entire scene with Luminar AI.
    Auroral Arc in Moonlight and Twiligh...jpg
  • The appearance of the infamous STEVE glowing arc south of the main auroral curtains, on May 27-28, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. This was about 11:56 pm MDT as STEVE appeared in his classic mauve colour first in the east but then expanded to cross the sky. STEVE = Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, created by hot gas flowing east to west south of the main aurora during an active display. It was Kp5 this night. <br />
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This is a single 30-second exposure at ISO 3200 with the Canon R5 and TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8.
    STEVE Arc - 2 (May 27, 2022).jpg
  • The appearance of the infamous STEVE glowing arc south of the main auroral curtains, on May 27-28, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. This was early on about 11:53 pm MDT as STEVE appeared in his classic mauve colour in the east. STEVE = Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, created by hot gas flowing east to west south of the main aurora during an active display. It was Kp5 this night. The main aurora has some subtle blue rays within it at left. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure at ISO 3200 with the Canon R5 and TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.
    STEVE Arc - 1 (May 27, 2022).jpg
  • A panorama of the Kp5-level aurora on May 27, 2022, from home, with the aurora displaying prominent magenta rays, created by the red oxygen emission blending with illumination from blue scattered sunlight at high altitudes, common around the summer solstice when the high atmosphere is lit all night long. As a bonus, a dim STEVE arc is forming at far right, to the south of the main auroral oval where STEVE normally appears. STEVE faded, then returned to become more strong and visible across the sky from east to west as the main aurora to the north faded.<br />
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Orange Antares in Scorpius is rising at far right low in the southeast. The Summer Triangle stars are right of centre. <br />
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This is a panorama of 9 segments, each 10 seconds with the 21mm TTArtisan lens at f/2 and the Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Stitched with Photoshop's Photomerge. The original is 28,400 pixels wide.
    Aurora & STEVE Panorama (May 27,...jpg
  • A 150° panorama of the auroral arc across the northern sky, shot from home in Alberta on April 27, 2022. The camera picked up the blue colour at the top of the curtains at left in the northwest from high-altitude sunlight illuminating the tops of the curtains. Otherwise, oxygen reds and greens dominate this fairly quiet display. Coincidentally, the arc of the aurora nicely follows the arc of the Milky Way across the north, then at its lowest for the year in the spring sky. <br />
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The winter stars Castor, Pollux and Capella are setting at left; Perseus and Cassiopeia are left of centre; Cygnus (with Deneb) is rising in the northeast right of centre; Vega in Lyra is at upper right, as the summer stars rise in the northeast. <br />
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Some of the lights in the distance are from farmers in the area preparing the fields for the spring seeding. <br />
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This is a stitch of 7 segments, each 30 seconds with the RF15-35mm lens at f/2.8 and 24mm, on the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 3200. The camera was on the Star Adventurer tracker, so these are all tracked, but the exposures are short enough that the ground is not blurred too badly, yet the stars are not trailed. Stitched in Camera Raw.
    Aurora from Home Panorama (April 27,...jpg
  • A green and red aurora from home, April 3, 2022. <br />
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A single shot with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2 and Canon R6.
    Aurora from Home (April 3, 2022).jpg
  • An unusual combination of an ice crystal light pillar, at left, with an aurora across the north with green, red and magenta curtains, April 1, 2022, from home in Alberta. <br />
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This is a panorama of 5 segments with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2 and Canon ROS R6 at ISO 1600 for 25 seconds each. Stitched with Photoshop and straightened with the Adaptive Wide Angle filter.
    Light Pillar and Aurora (April 1, 20...jpg
  • The start of a Kp5 level display on March 30, 2022 which was widely seen this night. But clouds moved in to block the view from home. <br />
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This is a panorama of 6 segments with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2 and Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 20 seconds each. Stitched with ACR.
    Aurora Panorama (March 30, 2022).jpg
  • A 360° fish-eye view of a sky-filling aurora on March 4, 2022 taken from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Churchill, Manitoba. This is looking north but with the lens taking in most of the sky including the zenith at top where the curtains are converging and swirling, and near the Big Dipper. Note the subtle nitrogen pink fringe along the lower curtain. <br />
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This is a 14-second exposure with the TTArtisan 7.5mm lens at f/2 and Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800. It is one frame from a 635-frame time-lapse sequence taken over 3 hours this night.
    All-Sky Aurora (March 4, 2022).jpg
  • A 180° panorama of the classic arc of the auroral oval across the northern sky, shot at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Churchill, Manitoba, March 1, 2022. From this longitude the auroral oval is usually centred due north, as it is here. <br />
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Guests from the Learning Vacations aurora group are outside taking in the display, which was fairly weak this night, with this arc being almost the best it appeared. It shows the classic colours, with the main oxygen green topped by weaker oxygen reds. The arc turns more yellow toward the horizon due to atmospheric absorption. <br />
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Polaris is just left of centre at top, and marks due north. Capella is at top left; Vega is a right of centre above the trees; Arcturus is at far right. The Milky Way runs across the sky at left in the west. Wind chills were about -40° this night. <br />
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This is a 3-section panorama with the TTArtisan 11mm fish-eye lens at f/2.8 for 30 seconds each with the Canon R6 at ISO 1600. Stitched with PTGui.
    Auroral Oval Panorama at CNSC (Mar 1...jpg
  • Auroral Arc with Polaris.jpg
  • A group of aurora fans are watching and shooting the Northern Lights at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, Manitoba on February 28, 2022. This is looking northwest during a low-level Kp2 display.<br />
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This is a single 8-second exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 1600.
    Aurora Watchers at CNSC (Feb 28, 202...jpg
  • An arc of normal green aurora across the north, but with a fainter but redder arc to the south at right at the start of a display this night. This arc looks somewhat like a STEVE arc but appeared before the aurora got brighter. Taken from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, in Churchill, Manitoba, on February 28, 2022. This is looking northeast during a low-level Kp2 display.<br />
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This is a single 20-second exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 3200.
    Possible STEVE Arc from CNSC (Feb 28...jpg
  • An arc of normal green aurora across the north, but with a fainter but redder arc to the south above it at the start of a display this night. Another very dim but mostly red arc lies far to the north. The red arc at top looks somewhat like a STEVE arc but appeared before the aurora got brighter. Taken from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, in Churchill, Manitoba, on February 28, 2022. This is looking north during a low-level Kp2 display.<br />
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This is a single 20-second exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 3200.
    Northern Auroral Oval with Possible ...jpg
  • A group of aurora fans are watching and shooting the Northern Lights at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, Manitoba on February 27, 2022. On this night the most active part of the display was to the west, best seen from out in the parking lot. The stars of Taurus are at left. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 and Canon R6 at ISO 1600.
    Aurora Watchers at CNSC (Feb 27, 202...jpg
  • What started out the night as a dim aurora brightened later and here appears over the abandoned Churchill Rocket Range, in Churchill, Manitoba on February 26, 2022. This aurora was at Kp2 level (very low) at best. <br />
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This is a single frame with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 for 10 seconds with the Canon Ra at ISO 2500.
    Aurora over Rocket Range (Feb 26, 20...jpg
  • A 300° panorama of an aurora from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, in Churchill, Manitoba on February 26, 2022. This aurora was at Kp1 level (very low) and appeared only as featureless grey arcs to the eye. But the camera picked up unusual red colouration, and even some yellow-oranges, along with the more normal greens. The reds are odd for such a low-level aurora as the oxygen reds typically appear only when the aurora gets very active and energetic. The display did brighten more later this night when it took on the more classic green arcs, with occasional lower fringes of nitrogen pinks. But at the start of the night the reds dominated.   Orion is at far left (southwest) while Leo is at far right (east). The winter Milky Way arches over the Studies Centre.   This is a panorama of 6 segments with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 for 30 seconds each with the Canon Ra at ISO 3200. Stitched with PTGui.
    Red Aurora Panorama (Feb 26, 2022).jpg
  • A dim aurora from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, in Churchill, Manitoba on February 26, 2022. This aurora was at Kp1 level (very low) and appeared only as featureless grey arcs to the eye. But the camera picked up unusual red colouration, and even some yellow-oranges, along with the more normal greens. The reds are odd for such a low-level aurora as the oxygen reds typically appear only when the aurora gets very active and energetic. The display did brighten later this night when it took on the more classic green arcs, with occasional lower fringes of nitrogen pinks. But at the start of the night the reds dominated. <br />
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The Big Dipper is at top centre. Vega is at bottom left. Arcturus is a bottom right. <br />
<br />
This is a single frame with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 for 30 seconds with the Canon Ra at ISO 3200.
    Dim Red & Green Auroral Arcs (Fe...jpg
  • A dim aurora from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, in Churchill, Manitoba on February 26, 2022. This aurora was at Kp1 level (very low) and appeared only as featureless grey arcs to the eye. But the camera picked up unusual red colouration, and even some yellow-oranges, along with the more normal greens. The reds are odd for such a low-level aurora as the oxygen reds typically appear only when the aurora gets very active and energetic. The display did brighten later this night when it took on the more classic green arcs, with occasional lower fringes of nitrogen pinks. But at the start of the night the reds dominated. <br />
<br />
The Big Dipper is at top centre; Leo is at right to the east. Vega is at far left. <br />
<br />
This is a single frame with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 for 30 seconds with the Canon Ra at ISO 3200.
    Dim Red Auroral Arc (Feb 26, 2022).jpg
  • A panorama of a dual-arc auroral oval across the north, shot from home about 8:30 pm MST on Nov. 28, 2021. The Kp got up to 4 this night. The Big Dipper is left of centre; Orion is rising at right. <br />
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This is an 7-section panorama, each at 15s at ISO 3200 and f/2.8 with the TTArtisan 21mm lens and Canon R6. Stitched with ACR.
    Aurora Panorama from Home #2 (Nov. 2...jpg
  • A panorama of a dual-arc auroral oval across the north, shot from home about 8:07 pm MST on Nov. 28, 2021. The Kp got up to 4 this night. The Big Dipper is left of centre; Orion is rising at right. <br />
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This is an 11-section panorama, each at 15s at ISO 3200 and f/2.8 with the TTArtisan 21mm lens and Canon R6. Stitched with ACR.
    Aurora Panorama from Home #1 (Nov. 2...jpg
  • A sky-filling Kp7-level aurora on the morning of November 4, 2021, from home in southern Alberta. The aurora was pulsing and flaming upwards over most of the sky, while more normal curtains slowly moved across the north. For a few minutes, very prominent red-topped curtains formed and filled the northern sky and moved from west to east. This was just past their peak. Note the blue curtains to the east as they catch the sunlight at their high altitude pre-dawn. A little pink nitrogen fringe appears along the bottom of the bright curtains low in the north. <br />
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This is a single 6s shot with the 7.5mm TTArtisan fish-eye lens at f/2 and the Canon R6 at ISO 3200. Taken at 5:06 am MDT.
    All-Sky Aurora #3 (Nov 4, 2021).jpg
  • A sky-filling Kp7-level aurora on the morning of November 4, 2021, from home in southern Alberta. The aurora was pulsing and flaming upwards over most of the sky, while more normal curtains slowly moved across the north. For a few minutes, very prominent red-topped curtains formed and filled the northern sky and moved from west to east. This was at their peak. Note the blue curtains to the east as they catch the sunlight at their high altitude pre-dawn. <br />
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This is a single 4s shot with the 7.5mm TTArtisan fish-eye lens at f/2 and the Canon R6 at ISO 6400. Taken at 4:57 am MDT.
    All-Sky Aurora #2 (Nov 4, 2021).jpg
  • A sky-filling Kp7-level aurora on the morning of November 4, 2021, from home in southern Alberta. The aurora was pulsing and flaming upwards over most of the sky, while more normal curtains slowly moved across the north.  A touch of blue is appearing in the east at right. <br />
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This is a single 4s shot with the 7.5mm TTArtisan fish-eye lens at f/2 and the Canon R6 at ISO 6400. Taken at 4:52 am MDT.
    All-Sky Aurora #1 (Nov 4, 2021).jpg
  • The early stages of a G3 solar storm and aurora show on Nov. 3/4, 2021, with the aurora as a bright glow across the north amid cloud reflecting light pollution. Orion is rising at right. Vega is setting at left. The Big Dipper is at centre. Capella is bright at upper right, to the left of the Pleiades. <br />
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This is a stitch of 6 segments with the 15-35mm RF lens at 15mm on the Canon R6, each 30s at f/2.8 and ISO 1600. Stitched with ACR.
    Aurora Panorama from Home (Nov 3, 20...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 with the curtains exhibiting red tops from high-altitude oxygen. This was from home in southern Alberta. <br />
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This is with the TT Artisan circular 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8, on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 15 seconds.
    Aurora with Red Curtains (Oct 11, 20...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 with the curtains exhibiting red tops from high-altitude oxygen. This was from home in southern Alberta. <br />
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This is with the TT Artisan circular 7.5mm fish-eye lens at f/2, on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 13 seconds.
    Aurora with Red Curtains - Fish-Eye ...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 looking south to a dim red arc (a SAR arc likely) that appeared for a few minutes associated with green blobs. This was from home in southern Alberta. The green areas were visible to the unaided eye but the red SAR arc was not; only the camera picked it up. <br />
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This is with the TT Artisan circular 7.5mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2, on the Canon R6 at ISO 2000 for 13 seconds.
    Aurora with SAR Arc and Blobs #2 - F...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 looking south to a dim red arc (a SAR arc likely) that appeared for a few minutes associated with green blobs. This was from home in southern Alberta. The green areas were visible to the unaided eye but the red SAR arc was not; only the camera picked it up. <br />
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This is with the TT Artisan circular 7.5mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2, on the Canon R6 at ISO 2000 for 13 seconds.
    Aurora with SAR Arc and Blobs #1 - F...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 with the curtains exhibiting detached auroral "blobs" structures. This was from home in southern Alberta. <br />
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This is with RF28-70mm lens at f/2, on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 10 seconds.
    Aurora with Blobs Structures (Oct 11...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 in a fish-eye view taking in most of the sky to show the aurora filling the sky with curtains.  <br />
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This is with the TT Artisan circular 7.5mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2, on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 6 seconds.
    All-Sky Aurora (Oct 11, 2021).jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 with the curtains exhibiting a horizontal "dunes" structure. This was from home in southern Alberta. <br />
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This is with the TT Artisan circular 7.5mm fish-eye lens at f/2, on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 15 seconds.
    Aurora with Dunes Structure - Fish-E...jpg
  • The G2 auroral storm of October 11/12, 2021 with the curtains exhibiting a horizontal "dunes" structure. This was from home in southern Alberta. <br />
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This is with the 11mm TT Artisan full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8, on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 13 seconds.
    Aurora with Dunes Structure (Oct 11,...jpg
  • A 120° panorama of the initial arc of Northern Lights at the start of an evening of aurora during a G2 storm on October 11/12, 2021, Thanksgiving Day in Canada. This was from home in southern Alberta, Canada. <br />
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Moonlight from the waxing crescent Moon tints the sky. Note the subtle shades of red and variations of green in the arc. The panorama shows off the classic auroral oval centred on the direction of the north magnetic pole, to the northeast of true north at my longitude in western Canada. The Big Dipper is at left and its Pointer stars in the bowl point up to true north (Polaris is off the frame).<br />
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This is a panorama of 13 segments at 15° spacings, with the RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and at f/2 on the Canon R6 at ISO 1600 for 4 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Auroral Arc Panorama (Oct 11, 2021).jpg
  • A dim red and green aurora from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on August 29/30, 2021. There were expectations of a bigger display this night, but litte came to pass! Capella is rising at centre; Perseus is at top right.<br />
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This is a stack of 4 exposures for the ground to smooth noise and one exposure for the sky, all 30 seconds at f/2.8 with the Canon 15-35mm RF lens at 25mm and the Canon R6 at ISO 4000.
    Aurora from Dinosaur Park (Aug 29, 2...jpg
  • A mild display of Northern Lights in the moonlight, from home in southern Alberta, August 24, 2021. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure with the 15-35mm RF lens at f/2.8 and 20mm, on the Canon R6 at ISO 800.
    Aurora from Home (Aug 24, 2021).jpg
  • A composite showing about three dozen Perseid meteors accumulated over 3 hours of time, compressed into one image showing the radiant point of the meteor shower in Perseus. This was August 12, 2021, from The Trail of the Fossil Hunters trailhead lot in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. A dim magenta aurora is visible to the northeast at left. Cassiopeia is at centre above the radiant point; the Andromeda Galaxy is just right of centre. Capella is rising at left. Airglow also tints the sky.<br />
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This is a blend of: a single 30-second exposure for the background sky, one with the aurora at its most active, such as it was this night, with a stack of 8 x 30-second exposures for the ground to smooth noise. Then 32 x 30-second exposures for the individual meteors (a couple of frames have two meteors on them) are overlaid with Lighten blend mode onto the base sky image, each with masks to reveal just the meteors. <br />
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All frames were with the Canon R6 at ISO 6400 and with the TTArtisan 11mm fish-eye lens at f/2.8. The camera was on a static tripod, not tracking the sky, so I hand-rotated all the meteor frames around Polaris at upper left, to bring them into close alignment to the base sky image, so the positions of all the meteors are close to their actual positions in the starfield when they appeared. A couple of exceptions were the meteors at bottom which appeared in Taurus, below the horizon at the time the sky image was taken, so those meteors are moved up artificially. ON1 NoNoise applied to the sky image. Ground illumination is from starlight.
    Perseids 2021 (Untracked R6 11mm).jpg
  • A display of Northern Lights low across the northeast, with a very distant and low showing of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) to the north along the northern horizon at left. These would have been far to the north of me. This was about 1 am MDT.<br />
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This is a single 30-second shot with the 21mm TTArtisan lens at f/2.8 and Canon R6 at ISO 1600. Taken from the field at home.
    Aurora and Distant NLCs (June 11-12,...jpg
  • Bands of green airglow in the northern sky through the area of the two Dippers (Big and Little), on a June night. This was from Red Rock Canyon road in Waterton Lakes National Park, June 3, 2021. Clouds coming in add the glows on the stars. The Big Dipper is at top; the Little Dipper is at right. All of Ursa Major is visible above the peak.<br />
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This is a single tracked 2-minute exposure with the MSM Tracker, and 20mm Sigma Art lens at f/2.8 adapted to the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600.
    Airglow in the Dippers.jpg
  • Bands of green airglow in the northern sky through the area of Cassiopeia and Perseus, on a June night. This was from Red Rock Canyon road in Waterton Lakes National Park, June 3, 2021. Clouds coming in at right add the yellow-green glows from light pollution to the north. The Double Cluster is at centre below Cassiopeia, M31 Andromeda Galaxy is at right. Capella shines between the trees at left. <br />
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This is a single tracked 2-minute exposure with the MSM Tracker, and 20mm Sigma Art lens at f/2.8 adapted to the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600.
    Airglow with Cassiopeia.jpg
  • An auroral arc at left across the northern horizon with a faint red SAR — Stable Auroral Red — arc to the east. The SAR arc was not visible to the eye. The camera was the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra so that helped pick up the dim deep red glow. The wide lens captures the broad sweep of the summer Milky Way rising, arcing from NE at left to SE at right, with the galactic core area at far right. <br />
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This is a single tracked exposure for 2 minutes at f/2.8 with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens, on the EOS Ra at ISO 1600, and on the MSM tracker.
    SAR Arc and Aurora (May 11-12, 2021).jpg
  • A green auroral arc across the northern horizon with faint red components above, with a touch of blue as well. The red glow forms a very dim red arc high across the north which is likely a SAR — Stable Auroral Red — arc. It became more prominent a few minutes later when the main arc died down in intensity. <br />
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The camera was the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra so that helped pick up the dim deep red glow. The wide lens captures the full sweep of the auroral arc from NW at left to NE at right. <br />
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This is a single untracked exposure for 30 seconds at f/2.8 with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens, on the EOS Ra at ISO 3200.
    Arc of Green and Red Aurora (May 11-...jpg
  • A horizon aurora at Kp4 or so, from home in southern Alberta on April 18, 2021, with the waxing Moon providing the illumination. It had snowed the day before.<br />
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A single 10-second shot at f/2 with the Venus Optics 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 1600.
    Aurora from Home (April 18, 2021) #2.jpg
  • A horizon aurora at Kp4 or so, from home in southern Alberta on April 18, 2021, with the waxing Moon providing the illumination. <br />
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A single 6-second shot at f/2 with the Venus Optics 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 1600.
    Aurora from Home (April 18, 2021) #1.jpg
  • A brief showing of a STEVE arc on April 16-17, about 12:13 am MDT, appearing as a very thin arc just visible to the eye. The Kp was 5 this night but with the Bz often north. This was shortly after the main aurora to the north had died down somewhat from a sub-storm flare up about 15 minutes earlier. <br />
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This is a single 13-second untracked exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens wide open at f/2.8 on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 6400 (the lens is only for mirrorless cameras and does not transmit lens metadata to the camera).
    Aurora Arc with Thin STEVE #2 (Apr 1...jpg
  • A brief showing of a STEVE arc on April 16-17, about 12:10 am MDT, appearing as a very thin arc just visible to the eye. The Kp was 5 this night but with the Bz often north. This was shortly after the main aurora to the north had died down somewhat from a sub-storm flare up about 15 minutes earlier. STEVE appears on the southward edge of the aurora glow. <br />
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This is a single 13-second untracked exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens wide open at f/2.8 on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 6400 (the lens is only for mirrorless cameras and does not transmit lens metadata to the camera).
    Aurora Arc with Thin STEVE #1 (Apr 1...jpg
  • A classic arc of aurora borealis showing pink pillars and an upper red glow above the main arc. The Kp was 5 this night but with the Bz often north. Early in the evening the aurora appeared as a bright but mostly featureless arc and was visible even in the twilight. This shows the display just before midnight, as it brightened and danced with structure in a brief substorm outburst. A thin STEVE arc appeared shortly afterwards.<br />
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This is a single 10-second untracked exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens wide open at f/2.8 on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 6400 (the lens is only for mirrorless cameras and does not transmit lens metadata to the camera).
    Aurora Arc with Pink Pillars (Apr 16...jpg
  • Shooting the aurora during the display on April 16-17, 2021, with the Sony a7III and 15mm Laowa lens.
    Aurora with Camera Shooting (April 1...jpg
  • An aurora selfie taken during the display on April 16-17, 2021, with the Sony a7III and 15mm Laowa lens. I am operating the Canon EOS Ra which was taking still images. I used the Sony this night mostly to do 4K movies.
    Aurora Selfie #2 (April 16, 2021).jpg
  • An aurora selfie taken during the display on April 16-17, 2021, with the Sony a7III and 15mm Laowa lens.
    Aurora Selfie #1 (April 16, 2021).jpg
  • A classic arc of aurora borealis showing upper level blue and magenta components to the arc and a blue ray at left (not to be confused with the reddish lens flare from the Moon just off frame at the upper left edge). The Kp was 5 this night but with the Bz often north. This was early in the evening when the aurora appeared as a bright but mostly featureless arc and was visible even in the twilight. It did brighten and dance with structure about midnight. <br />
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This is a single 30-second untracked exposure with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens wide open at f/2.8 on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 1600 (the lens is only for mirrorless cameras and does not transmit lens metadata to the camera).
    Aurora Arc with Blue Components (Apr...jpg
  • A panorama of the auroral arc seen from home in southern Alberta (latitude 51° N) on April 14/15, 2021, showing a very red component above (to the south of?) the main green auroral arc low across the north. At right, it takes on a STEVE-like appearance. Is this an example of a SAR Arc -- a Sub-Auroral Red Arc? A brief sighting of a partial STEVE arc was reported this night but I missed it. The Kp level did go as high as 5 this night. This scene was about 12:30 am MDT April 15, 2021.<br />
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By coincidence the arc of the Milky Way low across the north parallels the arc of the Northern Lights. Capella is at far left in the northwest; Vega is rising at right of centre in the northeast.<br />
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This is a stitch of 4 segments, each untracked for 45 seconds at f/2.8 with the Sigma 24mm Art lens on the Nikon D750 at ISO 1600. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Aurora from Home-April 14, 2021 Pano...jpg
  • A panorama of the auroral arc seen from home in southern Alberta (latitude 51° N) on April 14/15, 2021, showing a very red component above (to the south of?) the main green auroral arc low across the north. At right, it takes on a STEVE-like appearance. Is this an example of a SAR Arc -- a Sub-Auroral Red Arc? A brief sighting of a partial STEVE arc was reported this night but I missed it. The Kp level did go as high as 5 this night. This scene was at about 12:15 am MDT on April 15. <br />
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By coincidence the arc of the Milky Way low across the north parallels the arc of the Northern Lights. Capella is at far left in the northwest; Vega is rising at right of centre in the northeast.<br />
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This is a stitch of 7 segments, each untracked for 30 seconds at f/2.5 with the Sigma 24mm Art lens on the Nikon D750 at ISO 800. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Aurora from Home-April 14, 2021 Pano...jpg
  • An appearance of the STEVE arc on March 13, 2021, here looking east from home in southern Alberta, shot at 11:54 pm MST (the camera clock was 6 minutes slow). This was a hour or so after the main aurora to the north had brightened then faded. STEVE lasted no more than 30 minutes this night. <br />
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This is a single 10-second shot with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 6400.
    STEVE Aurora #4 (March 13, 2021).jpg
  • An appearance of the STEVE arc on March 13, 2021, here looking overhead from home in southern Alberta, shot at 11:51 pm MST (the camera clock was 6 minutes slow). This was a hour or so after the main aurora to the north had brightened then faded. STEVE lasted no more than 30 minutes this night. <br />
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This is a single 10-second shot with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 6400.
    STEVE Aurora #3 (March 13, 2021).jpg
  • An appearance of the STEVE arc on March 13, 2021, here looking west from home in southern Alberta, shot at 11:50 pm MST (the camera clock was 6 minutes slow). This was a hour or so after the main aurora to the north had brightened then faded. STEVE lasted no more than 30 minutes this night. <br />
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This is a single 10-second shot with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 6400.
    STEVE Aurora #2 (March 13, 2021).jpg
  • An appearance of the STEVE arc on March 13, 2021, here looking east from home in southern Alberta, shot at 11:49 pm MST (the camera clock was 6 minutes slow). This was a hour or so after the main aurora to the north had brightened then faded. STEVE lasted no more than 30 minutes this night. <br />
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This is a single 10-second shot with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 6400.
    STEVE Aurora #1 (March 13, 2021).jpg
  • An arc of aurora across the north, taken from home in southern Alberta March 13, 2021 on a night when the STEVE auroral arc appeared about 45 minutes after this was taken whren the main arc shown here had faded. <br />
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This is a cropped stitch of 9 segments, each 30 seconds at f/2.8 with the Venus Optics 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 1600. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Aurora Panorama from Home (March 13,...jpg
  • A 360° panorama of the late winter and early spring sky with an arc of aurora, from a latitude of 51° N. This was March 13, 2021, from home in southern Alberta.<br />
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This night there was a bright aurora across the northern sky, so I have oriented the view to place due north just right of centre. The Big Dipper is at right; Leo is rising at far right. The bright winter stars around Orion are at far left to the south. High clouds and haze, partly lit by light pollution here, add the natural glows to the stars, emphasizing the bright stars and constellation patterns. No filter was used here. The yellow arch at left is a band of cloud illuminated by light pollution. <br />
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This was a test of new panorama gear, using an Acratech Pan Head on top of a Alyn Wallace/MSM Z-Plate mounted to a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i tracker, to allow taking tracked segments for the panorama, to prevent star trailing. The Z-Plate allowed the Pan Head to mount and move horizontally and vertically in azimuth and altitude despite being on a polar aligned tracker. It worked! <br />
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The ground is a stitch of 8 segments shot with the tracker motor off, then blended with a stitch of 20 segments for the sky, in 3 tiers of 8 + 6 + 6 segments, all with the Sigma 24mm lens at f/2.8 and for 1-minute with the Nikon D750 at ISO 1600 for all shots. Stitched with PTGui v12 which at last saves camera metadata when exporting PSD files. The original is 25,600 pixels wide.
    Spring Sky Panorama with Aurora (Equ...jpg
  • A 360° all-sky or fish-eye panorama of the late winter and early spring sky from a latitude of 51° N. This was March 13, 2021, from home in southern Alberta.<br />
<br />
This was a test of new panorama gear, using an Acratech Pan Head on top of a Alyn Wallace/MSM Z-Plate mounted to a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i tracker, to allow taking tracked segments for the panorama, to prevent star trailing. The Z-Plate allowed the Pan Head to mount and move horizontally and vertically in azimuth and altitude despite being on a polar aligned tracker. It worked! <br />
<br />
This night there was a bright aurora across the northern sky, so I have oriented the view to place due north at bottom. South is at top. High clouds and haze, partly lit by light pollution here, add the natural glows to the stars, emphasizing the bright stars and constellation patterns. No filter was used here. <br />
<br />
The ground is a stitch of 8 segments shot with the tracker motor off, then blended with a stitch of 20 segments for the sky, in 3 tiers of 8 + 6 + 6 segments, all with the Sigma 24mm lens at f/2.8 and for 1-minute with the Nikon D750 at ISO 1600 for all shots. Stitched with PTGui v12 which at last saves camera metadata when exporting PSD files. The original is 16,000 pixels square.
    Spring Sky Panorama with Aurora (wit...jpg
  • A 360° all-sky or fish-eye panorama of the late winter and early spring sky from a latitude of 51° N. This was March 13, 2021, from home in southern Alberta.<br />
<br />
This was a test of new panorama gear, using an Acratech Pan Head on top of a Alyn Wallace/MSM Z-Plate mounted to a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i tracker, to allow taking tracked segments for the panorama, to prevent star trailing. The Z-Plate allowed the Pan Head to mount and move horizontally and vertically in azimuth and altitude despite being on a polar aligned tracker. It worked! <br />
<br />
This night there was a bright aurora across the northern sky, so I have oriented the view to place due north at bottom. South is at top. High clouds and haze, partly lit by light pollution here, add the natural glows to the stars, emphasizing the bright stars and constellation patterns. No filter was used here. <br />
<br />
The ground is a stitch of 8 segments shot with the tracker motor off, then blended with a stitch of 20 segments for the sky, in 3 tiers of 8 + 6 + 6 segments, all with the Sigma 24mm lens at f/2.8 and for 1-minute with the Nikon D750 at ISO 1600 for all shots. Stitched with PTGui v12 which at last saves camera metadata when exporting PSD files. The original is 16,000 pixels square.
    Spring Sky Panorama with Aurora.jpg
  • A panorama of an arc of Northern Lights, taken from home on February 28, 2021, with a Kp 4 to 6 level aurora and geomagnetic storm in progress. But it was fading by the time the sky cleared from home this night. I shot this about 11:05 pm. MST. To the eye the aurora looked colourless and was difficult to tell apart from the moonlit high clouds. But even in Live View, the camera distinctly showed the green auroral arc. The display never got very bright in the time I was watching and shooting. <br />
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This is a panorama of 5 segments with the Rokinon SP 14mm lens at f/2.8 for 15 seconds each, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 400, stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. I blended in an additional selfie segment taken right after the pan segments, to add me into the scene. A mild Orton Glow effect added to the foreground with Luminar AI.
    Aurora from Home Panorama (Feb 28, 2...jpg
  • An aurora from home in southern Alberta on February 19, 2021. The Kp index was up to 4 this night and produced superb shows from northern latitudes, and a nice photogenic horizon display from my latitude of 51° N. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera in the west. This is looking northeast over the old farm rake. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure at f/2.8 with the Laowa 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 800.
    Aurora from Home v2 (Feb 19, 2021).jpg
  • An aurora from home in southern Alberta on February 19, 2021. The Kp index was up to 4 this night and produced superb shows from northern latitudes, and a nice photogenic horizon display from my latitude of 51° N. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera in the west. This is looking northeast. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure at f/2.8 with the Laowa 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 800.
    Aurora from Home v1 (Feb 19, 2021).jpg
  • An aurora selfie from home in southern Alberta on February 19, 2021, with me offering up views of the Northern Lights. The Kp index was up to 4 this night and produced superb shows from northern latitudes, and a nice photogenic horizon display from my latitude of 51° N. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera in the west. This is looking northeast. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure at f/2.8 with the Laowa 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 800.
    Aurora Selfie v2 (Feb 19, 2021).jpg
  • An aurora selfie from home in southern Alberta on February 19, 2021. The Kp index was up to 4 this night and produced superb shows from northern latitudes, and a nice photogenic horizon display from my latitude of 51° N. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera in the west. This is looking northeast. <br />
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This is a single 15-second exposure at f/2.8 with the Laowa 15mm lens and Sony a7III at ISO 800.
    Aurora Selfie v1 (Feb 19, 2021).jpg
  • A quiescent arc of Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, across the northern horizon from home on February 1, 2021. <br />
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The W of Cassiopeia is at top left; the familiar Big Dipper is at top right. Polaris in the Little Dipper, or Ursa Minor, is above centre. Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper are nicely placed at this time on a February evening flanking Polaris at an equal altitude, in the northwest and in the northeast. The Milky Way runs down the left side of the frame <br />
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This is a single 30-second untracked exposure with the Sony a7III at ISO 1600, and with the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm lens wide open at f/2.
    Aurora from Home (Feb 1, 2021).jpg
  • A 180° panorama of a display of Northern Lights to the northeast, the first in many weeks for us in a Kp4 level display, with bright Mars amid clouds to the southeast, at right. Mars was near opposition and so nearly at its brightest at this time. <br />
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The Big and Little Dippers are at left to the north; the Pleiades is right of centre to the east. Moonlight from the low gibbous Moon off frame to the southeast provides the illumination.<br />
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Taken from home, Sept 25-26, 2020, in a stitch of 6 segments, all 20 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 with the Sigma Art 14mm lens and Nikon D750. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Aurora and Mars (Sept 25, 2020).jpg
  • A display of Northern Lights to the northeast, the first in many weeks for us in a Kp4 level display. The Big and Little Dippers are at left to the north. Capella is the bright star at right. Moonlight from the low gibbous Moon off frame to the southeast provides the illumination.<br />
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Taken from home, Sept 25-26, 2020. This is a stack of 4 exposures for the ground to smooth noise, and one for the sky, all 10 seconds at f/2 and ISO 1600 with the Sigma Art 14mm lens and Nikon D750.
    Aurora from Home (Sept 25, 2020).jpg
  • Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) with the Northern Lights and a STEVE arc aurora to the left, all over the Waterton River at Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, on July 13-14, 2020. This was from the Maskinonge picnic area. The Big Dipper is at upper left. A very faint green picket fence aurora is at right above the comet, a characteristic of STEVE arcs. This was an astounding night for sky phenomena! <br />
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This is a blend of a stack of six exposures for the ground and water to smooth noise, blended with a single short exposure for the sky, all 15 seconds at f/2 and ISO 3200, with the 20mm Sigma Art lens and Canon EOS Ra camera (with the Nikon-mount Sigma lens adapted to the EOS Ra with a Metabones F to RF adapter). LENR employed on all shots to reduce thermal noise this warm summer night.
    Comet NEOWISE and STEVE Aurora (July...jpg
  • Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) with the Northern Lights over the Waterton River at Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, on July 13-14, 2020. This was from the Maskinonge picnic area. <br />
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This is a blend of a stack of nine exposures for the ground and water to smooth noise, blended with a single short exposure for the sky, all 25 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 800, with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII camera. LENR employed on all shots to reduce thermal noise this warm summer night.
    Comet NEOWISE Over Waterton River (J...jpg
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