The Aurora Borealis is "named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621."¹ It is more commonly referred to as The Northern Lights. For more info on what causes the Aurora visit ¹( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy) ).
UPDATE: Now into my second year of serious Aurora Photography, the sun is finally bursting back to life! Not only have I been getting some fantastic photos and time lapse videos, but I've had the pleasure of coaching a few folks and seeing their amazing results as well. I'll be launching workshops next season for those that would like a little more help than this post can give. Stay tuned by our Facebook Page.
According to Todd Salat (The Aurora Hunter), "The sun has a heartbeat. Every eleven years or so it beats, and it beats hard. This is known as the solar cycle and is measured by the number of sunspots visible on the sun. The more sunspots, the more energy is being released into space (which means more aurora activity!)."² However, we have been in the trough, or bottom of the cycle, for a 3 year period. (This happens to be the entire time I have lived in Alaska.) A drought this long is very rare. Early on in 2010 it was not looking much better as predictions suggested that we were going to continue to experience "the least active period ever," according to Aurora forecaster Charles Deehr.
The good news... The sun is finally coming back to life. Recent sunspots have finally been appearing all over the northern hemisphere of the sun and even spouting off plasma plumes. I have seen the best Aurora since moving to Alaska in the past week. In fact, when the weather cooperates, you can't really go out for the night and not see Northern Lights. Finally! UPDATE: The sun is alive and well. We even recently (Feb 15th) and an X-Class (the largest class) solar flare!
Ok so now too see them. The best way to see them is to travel either to Fairbanks, AK or the Yukon Territory of Canada during the winter months (Sept-Mar). Generally, it is said that if you spend 3 or more nights in Fairbanks in the winter, you will see aurora. They can be seen in the Northern part of The Continental United States, but are far less frequent. Minnesota, being the most northern state in The Lower 48, likely offers the best chances to see the lights. In fact, when the lights are visible overhead in Anchorage, AK, they are usually also visible in Northern MN.
All of this info is great but it doesn't help if you don't know when to look to the sky. So here are some resources that I have found useful in predicting when it is worth my time to venture out. First and foremost you should visit the UAF Geophysical Institute's Aurora Forecast website here. You can see the current KP prediction for that day as well as the next few days and sometimes even weeks. You can also change the map view by clicking one of the maps in the upper left. You can even sign up to get email alerts when a good aurora storm is expected. To the right you'll notice a Short Term Forecast as well. This is generally about a 1 hour prediction but varies from 50-80 minutes into the future. If you would like to follow along with the current activity, NOAA has an updating page with current KP predictions here. I have found this to be the most reliable way to know when to head out.
A few other resources I usually check are http://www.auroraborealisyukon.com/auroracast/ which lists solar wind speed, particle density, and Interplanetary Magnetic Field behavior. The truly nice thing about this site... It also gives a comprehensive breakdown of just what the combination of all this techno mumbo jumbo means. Eventually, with some repetitive site visits, it becomes easier to understand the impact all this stuff has on the aurora too. The last source is http://www.astronomynorth.com/ Don't forget to check out the Aurora Cam located at Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska. If you're in the area this will give you a great idea of what to expect if you venture out and if you're not here, you can still enjoy the show!
I generally combine all of these sources with a few iPhone/iPod/iPad apps to get the best idea of what to expect. The first is 3D Sun which is free. It was developed by NASA. What does it do? Well, "Realtime images used to construct the 3-dimensional sphere are beamed to Earth by the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), a pair of spacecraft with a combined view of 87% of the solar surface." UPDATE: The two spacecraft orbiting The Sun have finally reached opposite sides which gives us a view of nearly 100% of The Sun. This app has also been updated to contain current KP conditions. I also use the free Aurora Forecast app which gives me the same data as the Geophysical Institute's forecast but on the iPhone.
On episode 66 of The Pro Photography Show ( Pro Photo Podcast #66RT – Future Feelings ) there was good discussion about night time photography and Dennis Zerwas of http://www.dzpics.com in Minnesota, suggested The Solar Monitor app. This app is fantastic and has become my main resource when I'm out and have a signal. It combines many of the above listed resources and gives me almost everything I need to keeping tabs on auroral activity in one app.
Finally, if you use Twitter, you can follow @Aurora_Alerts (I have this @Aurora_Alerts set up to text me when they send a tweet as well and you can do that via Twitter.)or myself @RMurrayPhoto for updates and alerts. I don't always tweet them but I usually do when I know they are good.
Let's get to the photography already! If you happen to be in Fairbanks, Alaska or you happen to be in an area where you get aurora activity the challenge then becomes capturing them to show to the world. I'm going to share a few tips and tricks I have learned along the way.
First and foremost let's talk about equipment. I generally won't suggest gear as I think that a very skilled person can create very beautiful art with any camera. Chase Jarvis has proven this with his Best Camera app and book titled "The Best Camera: Is the One That’s With You in which he displays his artistic photos from around the world taken solely with his iPhone. However, in the case of Northern Lights, there is definitely some required gear.
You need a DSLR! It is true that with a good point and shoot that has manual exposure mode you can probably correctly expose a photo of the aurora, but your not going to get a good photo with it. Unfortunately, the sensor on these types of cameras are simply too small and create excessive noise in these most demanding of conditions. Both Canon and Nikon (and others) make very good DSLR's in the consumer range now that are more than adequate. Buy the best you can afford but don't overspend either. Most any modern DSLR will do an adequate job.
The next thing that is an absolute necessity, is a good tripod. Not the $20 tripod you can pick up at Best Buy, but a good solid tripod. They are a bit spendy but well worth the investment even for a hobbyist. Most Sportsman's Warehouse type stores carry a decent variety for spotting scopes. These will work just fine but you may want to check out the head and see what works best. For Northern Lights I recommend a ball head.I should also add that if you are in Fairbanks and find you left something behind or just need something, Fairbanks Fast Foto has a good selection of most things you'll need.
Most of the time I am shooting Northern Lights, I am on one of the two tallest points in the Fairbanks area. High winds often blow me around, and are even harder on my camera and tripod. Combine this with the long exposure times it takes to photograph aurora and the need for good, solid stability becomes apparent. Keeping your tripod low to the ground helps alleviate some of this. As an additional measure, I'll sometimes suspend weight of some sort (a camera bag) from the center post of the tripod for even greater stability.
Another thing I highly recommend is a good, fast, wide angle lens. You can get good shots without it, and I have, but this will dramatically improve your photos and your experience. It will also help to cut down exposure times allowing you more creative freedom and less risk of blurred shots. The downside, these types of lenses can often cost more than the camera itself. Tamron, Sigma, and even Tokina make some fairly fast, wide-angle lenses with great image quality and at about 1/3rd of the price! Again, buy the best you can afford but don't mortgage the house to do it. I should note here that by "fast" I mean large f-stops or apertures. I'll discuss this in more detail in another post but for the sake of this discussion, fast means they allow more light to reach the sensor in less time.f/2.8 or faster is great for aurora. The smaller the number the "faster" the lens.
The next thing to have on board is a good shutter release. Either the wired kind or a wireless will work just fine. I use one that has a built in timer and interval meter so I can shoot time lapse as well. You can also use the self timer if you don't have a shutter release. By using either a shutter release or the self timer you will help to eliminate vibrations and camera movement that can blur your shots at longer exposure times.
I would also consider it necessary to carry extra batteries for the camera and any other gear you might have. If your up in Fairbanks for example the temperatures in the winter are commonly in the sub-zero double digits. Sometimes as cold as -50ยบ F. Batteries don't like the cold and die MUCH faster in these temps than normal. Combine this with the long exposure times which consume much more power than your standard snapshot, and battery life is minimal.
While we are on the subject of the extreme cold conditions, lets talk a bit about the gear required because of this. First, you should of course dress appropriately with many layers. If your a visitor to Fairbanks or Canada, I would highly recommend stopping by a local outfitter store and asking for assistance in gearing up for aurora watching.More is always better. You can always shed it but believe me, nothing will wreck your aurora experience like being under dressed.
It's also a good idea to carry enough hand warmers for yourself and to attach to your camera as this will help keep it warm and prevent frost on the lens. You can use a rubber band or tape (Gorilla tape is my fix all and I'm not often without it.) to attach them or even better, wrap a towel around the camera and tape it in place with the hand warmers inside, near the battery compartment.There are also "coats" for your camera but once you put the camera inside it makes it harder to use because the entire camera is covered up.
Another VERY IMPORTANT tip is to bring a few large Ziploc Freezer Bags with you. If you take a camera from the cold and bring it into a warm vehicle condensation is sure to occur inside the inner workings of your pricey gear. A good way to handle this is, at the end of the shoot, place the camera and lens in one of the Ziplocs and then place that inside your camera bag. Zip the camera bag shut immediately and leave it until morning. This will allow the camera to warm up to room temperature slowly and in combination with the Ziploc will help prevent moisture troubles. I also use the little silica packets that come with leather shoes etc. to help dry any moisture that occurs. I've also recently found a great product called DAMPRID which can be found where you find moth balls at your local store that works great for this! Thanks Kevin! Also IMPORTANT: don't forget to remove your memory card prior to stowing the camera so you don't have to wait till morning to see your results.
You should also carry a good flashlight and a headlamp. This will help with focusing and to prevent any stumbling out there in the dark. It can also be used for some creative lighting effects if you desire. I always try to carry plenty of water and a few energy bars and some emergency gear... just in case! I can also tell you from experience that a good shovel is never a bad idea! ;-)
Ok so you've got your gear, your dressed like an Eskimo, your batteries are all charged up, your ready to go! You've checked the weather forecast, the aurora forecast and even the traffic forecast and all is aligning for a fantastic night. It just so happens that you're in Fairbanks but don't know where to go. I have a few suggestions for you! You knew I wouldn't leave ya hanging, didn't ya? Chena Hot Spri
ngs Resort offers some good Aurora views and a great place to sleep, eat, and soak in the natural hot springs. They also have the World Famous Aurora Ice Museum! The 3 places I most often shoot from are Murphy Dome(45 min), Ester Dome(15 min), or Cleary Summit(35 min) between Fox and Chatinika. Of these spots, Ester is the closest and easiest to access from town. Plus you may catch UAF launching a rocket. You can see them from many places much closer to town but you will find a high amount of light pollution from the city in your shots.
The fun part...
Now to actually shoot them! As a side note, if you don't know how to access some of the features mentioned below I would suggest a browse through your camera's manual as you read this. I use a custom White Balance or WB but using tungsten is close. You should experiment with this and find your own preference as it's relative. If you can set the K or Kelvin temperature (that's how light's temperature or color cast is measured) play with that a bit till you find something that suites you. Also, if you have editing software, I HIGHLY recommend shooting in RAW.
Once you're in location, and the lights are dancing nicely (this often takes some patients), I find it easiest to use the Aperture Priority (AV) exposure mode. I like to shoot manual a lot of the time as this gives me a lot finer tuned images, but for the sake of those new to this we will discuss the former. So, select AV mode, set your ISO to 800 or greater (keeping in mind the higher the ISO the more digital noise will become a problem especially with long exposure times), adjust your aperture so that it is wide open (the smallest number possible i.e. f/2.8 as opposed to f/11) and set your exposure compensation to +1. This is a good starting point and you can adjust exposure up or down as you desire. Keep in mind that your shutter speed is now determined by the camera's meter. This means that as you increase the exposure you thus increase the amount of time the shutter is open and visa-verse. The shorter the shutter duration, the better you will freeze the motion of the lights. They do move quickly at times.
Next, you'll want to set your focus. To do this I will generally find the composition I like and decide what should be in sharp focus. This could be a rock in the foreground, a tree in the distance or even the stars themselves. In the case of the later, I will use the moon to focus if that is possible or I will manually focus to infinity (the sideways looking 8) and bring it back just a touch. This is different with every lens and it might be a good idea to experiment before hand to get a good idea of where your best infinite focus is. As for focusing on that rock in the foreground (which tends to yield the best results), shine your flashlight on the rock at the point you want most in focus. View that spot through the camera and lock the focus there. Then, with the focus still locked, turn auto-focus off. Generally by sliding a switch on the lens. NOTE: This only works if your camera is set to a one shot focus mode!
Most DSLR's now have the option to use mirror lock-up. You should use this if your camera has this option. The mirror allows you to "see what the lens sees" by redirecting the view to the view finder. When you snap a photo, the mirror is then "flipped" up out of the way of the shutter and sensor so the sensor can record the image. This mirror motion can actually cause vibrations that will cause your shots to be blurry or fuzzy during long exposures. By using Mirror Lock-up the mirror flips up a few seconds prior to the exposure allowing time for any vibrations to settle.
If you haven't already, this is a good time to attach your shutter release or set your camera's self timer to the shortest duration. You're ready to begin shooting! Experiment and have fun. These suggestions are merely that and intended as a guideline to get you started. Finally, getting good Northern Lights photos often takes time, patients and practice. Plan to go out for the full night. I've often come back with some great shots because I stayed out even when it looked bleak. On the contrary, I've missed some great opportunities because I gave up too early.
A few fun facts about the Northern Lights to leave you with. I found these in the January-February addition of the Canadian "Up Here Magazine" which features several of my WEIO Photos (pg. 56). Be sure to check it out!
By the Numbers³
240 - Nights per a year the aurora is visible in the central NWT and Southern Nunavut.
50 - Nights per year it's visible in the High Arctic.
1 - Nights per year it's visible in Los Angeles.
24 - Hours per day that the aurora is active.
80 - Elevation, in kilometers, of pale green auroras.
400 - Elevation, in kilometers, of bright red auroras.
200,000 - Volts measured in auroras during intense magnetic storms.
11 - Number of years between peaks in auroral activity.
3 - Number of years until the next peak.
3,000,000 - Speed, in kilometers per hour, at which charged solar particles bombard Earth's atmosphere, setting off the aurora.
1,500 - Frequency per year that those bursts hit earth.
1958 - Year an aurora was seen in Mexico City.
1616 - Year in which Galileo Galilei coined the name "aurora borealis."
1 - Calls made to the Fairbanks, Alaska fire station after an aurora was mistaken for a raging wildfire.
Don't forget to check out my website.
You can also find my Aurora Time Lapse videos on Youtube.
If you have any questions feel free to tweet them to me @RMurrayPhoto
² Salat, Todd
(http://aurorahunter.com/aurora-prediction.php)
³ Postma, Robert
January - February 2010. By the Numbers. Up Here. Vol. 26, Number 1. pp. 16
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