As some of you are no doubt aware, we are currently approaching a solar maximum, a peak in the activity of the Sun which results in, amongst other things, stronger solar winds. These peaks in the Sun's activity occur approximately every 11 years, and the geomagnetic storms that are usually only visible in the far north or south can, in the right conditions, be seen over a much larger area.
The strength of geomagnetic storms is measured using the Kp index, a numeric value from 0-9. Around Vancouver, a value of 4 is required to be able to see the aurora on the horizon, and a value of 6 means that it will be visible overhead (in the correct, dark-sky conditions, of course).
Accordingly, when I saw a value of 7.3 forecast for last night, the highest value I've seen since I've been actively monitoring the forecast, I figured that I had to go out and see what I could get, despite a persistent thin layer of cloud which looked like it would be my undoing. I didn't expect to get much, but I knew if I didn't try, and saw someone else's shot, I would be kicking myself!
I arrived at my favourite star observation spot, Porteau Cove Provincial Park, at about 11:30, and it was immediately clear that despite the cloud, there was definitely some aurora visibility -- a very noticeable blue-green glow was on the horizon to the north, which I was pretty certain wasn't the result of the Squamish lights. This was my first ever aurora sighting!
There were a number of other odd phenomena in the skies as well -- some weird orange vertical shapes to the west, as well as a big streak directly overhead that I'd seen from the car. I took some shots of these and their movement between photos suggests that they were also a result of geomagnetic storm activity, although with the amount of cloud that was also visible, I can't be absolutely sure.
While we never did get clear viewing conditions, as can be seen by the very dim stars that are visible, the brightness of the lights on the horizon did vary. I managed to get this 6-photo panorama at one of the brighter moments, capturing the intense green glow on that was visible up to about 40 degrees above the horizon. The Big Dipper can be seen in the upper left corner, as well as some other constellations across the sky.
I am very hopeful that another strong storm forecast will coincide with clear, dark skies this year, but I'm also glad that I took the chance and went out to capture this -- even though the conditions were not ideal, it was stunning to see and photograph.
I'm a British software developer and photographer living in Vancouver, BC. I mainly photograph landscapes, cityscapes, night scenes, and water.
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Absolutely amazing. Def a FAV. Thank you for taking the time to write the commentary...makes it all the more interesting and very informative, much appreciated. Glad you got this opportunity - good luck with the next :-)
Instant Fav Alexis. I would love to one day be able to see this for myself. How very talented you are to catch such a clear stunning shot. Not enough nice / good words can be used to describe just how amazing I think this capture. Fantastic work.
This has got to be next week's #1 in the top 20. Totally awesome. fav of course. I tried googling to find out what KP index here would need to be and to find a way to know if it ever gets in the realm. I so much want to see this
@filsie65 Thank you! Vancouver is surprisingly far south -- people often think of all of Canada as being near-arctic, but actually Porteau Cove is further south than Cherbourg in France! We do however have the benefit of being on the 'right' side of the planet -- the storms are centred over the magnetic poles rather than the geographic. It is possible to see the aurora from relatively far south in the UK when a strong storm is present, although you also need a dark sky to the north, which is also a challenge in the UK!
@tstb The accurate forecast is unfortunately only very near-term -- it's not possible to predict future activity with any accuracy more than a few minutes in advance.
This gives you pretty accurate forecasting 30-45 minutes in advance. They also have a Twitter account you can follow, but you need to be able to respond quickly if you are making a special trip, as it can drop as fast as it rises. I was in the car 5 minutes after the tweet saying it would hit 7.3!
@jgpittenger Forgive me, I've forgotten exactly where you are based -- is it Oregon? With a strong enough storm, the aurora can be seen across most of the contiguous US -- it's even been seen as far south as Texas, but that is very rare. Depending on whether you are in north or south Oregon, you should be able to see the aurora on the horizon when it's at a strength of 6-7, and overhead if it reaches an 8 or higher (approximately). You will of course need clear conditions and a viewpoint that does not suffer from very much light pollution to the north. This year is likely to be the best chance you have of seeing it until the next peak in approximately 11 years, so it's certainly worth trying. See my reply to @tstb for details on how to keep an eye on the forecast, and see if you can come up with a location near you that has dark skies to the north!
@jsw0109 You do also have a chance -- you would again need quite a strong storm, but it's very likely there will be at least one or two this year that would be visible from Indiana. Here's an example of a shot taken in Indiana a few years ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29431037@N05/2752545276
@abirkill oh wow....it was supposed to be visible not too long ago, and on the news they made a big deal about it since it is rare here, and I went out in the country and waited and waited and waited, but nothing happened. oh well... maybe someday
Tis is a fabulous shot. I didn't know it was possible to see the aurora in Vancouver. Thank you SO much for the fav for my strawberry shot. You're such a fantastic photographer and I really enjoy your shots, so II feel really honoured that you've bothered to appreciate mine.
Oh wow ..... this is on my bucket list! I follow aurorawatch on facebook but not much chance of seeing them where I am.
This is an amazing shot and deserves to be in the TT :)
@abirkill so if i waana click any place in night would be best with long exposure (30 sec i have max) or any kinda specific location we need to choose . pls do guide !
I feel bad for having left this so long. I have noticed via my email notifications how many of my shots you fav. I find this astounding as you are so knowledgeable and take the most incredible photographs. I am now following you so I can keep up with your project although when it comes to following I have a limited amount of time and really only reciprocate to those who comment on my shots. Thank you for your endless generosity in helping us technophobes. I have about as much understanding of the intricacies of the internal workings of a camera as I have of the engine of a car (i.e. none at all) I chose to comment on this shot particularly because it is something that one day I would love to experience although I have no doubt that any photos I take of it could not possibly match up to this :o) Oh and fav xx
Here's a shot taken in South Wales: http://www.flickr.com/photos/o-r-m/8567279812/in/photostream
@tstb The accurate forecast is unfortunately only very near-term -- it's not possible to predict future activity with any accuracy more than a few minutes in advance.
You can get a rough idea of the longer-term trend (over the next few days) at the following site:
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast
(Click on the maps in the bottom left corner to find one that covers your area if you want to see how close it will be).
The short-term forecast is available here:
http://www.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm
This gives you pretty accurate forecasting 30-45 minutes in advance. They also have a Twitter account you can follow, but you need to be able to respond quickly if you are making a special trip, as it can drop as fast as it rises. I was in the car 5 minutes after the tweet saying it would hit 7.3!
@jgpittenger Forgive me, I've forgotten exactly where you are based -- is it Oregon? With a strong enough storm, the aurora can be seen across most of the contiguous US -- it's even been seen as far south as Texas, but that is very rare. Depending on whether you are in north or south Oregon, you should be able to see the aurora on the horizon when it's at a strength of 6-7, and overhead if it reaches an 8 or higher (approximately). You will of course need clear conditions and a viewpoint that does not suffer from very much light pollution to the north. This year is likely to be the best chance you have of seeing it until the next peak in approximately 11 years, so it's certainly worth trying. See my reply to @tstb for details on how to keep an eye on the forecast, and see if you can come up with a location near you that has dark skies to the north!
@jsw0109 You do also have a chance -- you would again need quite a strong storm, but it's very likely there will be at least one or two this year that would be visible from Indiana. Here's an example of a shot taken in Indiana a few years ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29431037@N05/2752545276
This is an amazing shot and deserves to be in the TT :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)