Photographing the Aurora Above Iowa
(This was originally posted at borealsoup.substack.com on 23 April 2023. Subscribe there to keep up to date with my writing via email, the substack app, or the substack website.)
Experiencing the Aurora Borealis
Two nights ago, here in Central Iowa, we were treated to a spectacular show of northern lights!
It is rare to witness the aurora borealis at our humble latitude of 41.6 degrees, as it is typically reserved for more northern regions of the world. However, over the weekend, I watched as aurora alerts were posted and fellow internet users were nerding out over the solar weather data coming in.
After settling for subpar cellphone pics during the last big aurora event back in March, and having never properly seen the aurora with my own eyes, I was determined to make a solid effort at capturing the phenomenon with my big camera this time around.
On the day of, my husband and I scoped out a few local spots where we might capture aurora photos that night. Our criteria were simple: a clear view to the north, be away from city lights, and have minimal interference from any passing cars. We prioritized a couple of viable options and headed back out at sunset to set up.
Looking north and waiting for darkness [20 mm, f/3.5, ISO 4000, 5 sec.]
We patiently waited as the sky darkened. About an hour after sunset, we could start to see a faint magenta glow on the horizon. It was partially obscured by clouds, so we continued to wait. Two hours after sunset (~10:12pm CST), a green ribbon of light started rising a little bit higher along the horizon.
Faint green ribbon on the horizon at 10:12pm and magenta pillars. The two white glow spots on the horizon are light pollution from towns to the north. [20 mm, f/3.5, ISO 1600, 4 sec.]
At this point, we decided to move to a different location about a 5 minute drive away. There, it was much quieter and we didn’t have the glow of light pollution on the horizon. As soon as we set up, we could see that the aurora was continuing to get higher into the sky. This was so exciting for us to see!
Looking northwest at 10:50pm as the moon was about to set. [21 mm, f/3.5, ISO 4000, 4 sec.]
At 11pm, the sky exploded with color! By 11:07pm, green and magenta pillars of light were dancing across the sky and reflected in the water. We also started seeing pulsating ribbons of light dart across the sky above our heads. It was one of the craziest things I have ever seen! We were both in shock at how quickly the bands of light moved across the sky.
Explosion of color at 11:07pm! [21 mm, f/3.5, ISO 4000, 4 sec]
Taken at 11:16pm. [21 mm, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 2.5 sec]
The intense pillars of light continued until about 11:18pm before settling down a bit. We took a few more photos and headed home for the night around 11:30pm.
The video below is the time-lapse that my husband took!
The aurora is epically magical. A big goal of ours is to capture it somewhere like Iceland, Norway, or Alaska in the next few years. Until then, we’ll continue to chase the big solar storms locally.
If you missed out this time, fear not! We are heading toward solar maximum, which means increased chances of bigger solar storms like this over the next couple of years!
How you can catch the next aurora event
Aurora is caused by the sun. Specifically, it is caused when the sun experiences a type of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection. The particles travel toward Earth, down magnetic field lines at the north and south poles and into our atmosphere. The particles interact with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, creating the different colors we see.
Aurora are most common in the 65-75 degree latitude range, but stronger storms, like this last one, can bring aurora further south (or north if it’s aurora australis in the southern hemisphere).
Predicting aurora is challenging. There are numerous space weather data features that experts track in order to predict aurora. Even with knowledge that a coronal mass ejection has taken place in the previous days, the actual aurora event can happen with as little as 20-30 minutes warning.
Below are a few resources that I like to keep an eye on for aurora forecasting.
Mobile apps like SpaceWeatherLive and My Aurora Forecast allow you to set alerts
Twitter accounts such as @spacewxwatch and @Aurora_Alerts
Websites that display current aurora maps and near-term forecasts: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental, https://cdn.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm, https://seetheaurora.com/live-data,
http://www.auroranotifier.com/, and https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/auroral-activity/aurora-forecast.html
Do you need a fancy camera to capture the aurora?
(Note: This post includes a few affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my links, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. Any commissions directly support upkeep of this website.)
Short answer, no. Most smartphones these days are able to capture long exposure images that show the aurora. The aurora will be visible in a long exposure image before it is discernible to the naked eye. As the aurora gets stronger, it becomes more visible to our eyes.
To take a long exposure image with your phone, get outside at night and away from city lights. Prop your phone against something to keep it very still and point the camera to the northern horizon. Any slight movement of the phone as it is taking the photo will make your image blurry. Then, just take a photo like you normally would (no flash). It should automatically detect that it needs to take a longer exposure image. You can also put your phone into night mode (if it has one) and take it that way.
These longer exposures allow the camera to capture more light. If any aurora glow is present, you should be able to see it in a long exposure image.
If you want a much higher quality image, you’ll need a tripod and a camera such as a DSLR. The camera settings that I used are included in the caption below each photo I shared above. The camera I used was my Sony a7R III and the lens was the Canon 16-35 mm. I edited all of my photos using Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and Topaz Photo AI.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our experience with the aurora. Let me know if you catch the next aurora that comes around!
Until next time,
Stephanie
