#PhotoMonday
Just started to upload my images of the historic auroral display from May 10-11, 2024.
Captivating, once in a lifetime experience, specially at our latitude.
Why were the northern and southern lights so visible over the past weekend? Let's talk about the sun's solar cycle, solar maximum, what causes the northern lights -- and even a conspiracy theory that the aurora were artificially created.
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"The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummeled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places."
AP reports: "The good news is that Earth should be out of the line of fire this time because the flare erupted on a part of the sun rotating away from Earth."
Many folks in the fediverse saw and photographed the extraordinary auroras over the weekend (it was a joy to log in and track the lights as they progressed around the world). In case you missed them, here's a @Flipboard Storyboard from CNN with a collection of images, including shots from Christchurch in New Zealand, Ormont-Dessous in Switzerland and Lake Berryessa in California. Our favorite photo? An incredible shot of a windmill in Aarlanderveen, the Netherlands.
On the way back I suddenly saw the full spectrum too, not just with my cam. Most likely because the spot was deeper in the valley and blocked the city lights.
🌤️ Good morning Edinburgh. Monday’s headlines: Arthur’s Seat helicopter rescue, cookery school shuts, college cuts 'crisis' meeting, Caley brewery plans, Pizza Pilgrims opening + a lifeline for the Ross Bandstand
An Alaska meme...with all the folks all around the world getting a chance to view the gorgeous Northern Lights in many colors, Alaskans are feeling a bit jealous. 😜 #SolarStorms#NorthernLights
The aurora put on quite a show Friday night! It was amazing to see the sky dancing with greens, purples, reds, and aqua lights! This is one of my favorites, taken at Flagstaff Lake in Eustis, Maine.
Seeing the northern lights with my own eyes was an amazing experience this weekend! I wrote up a blog post about it and assembled a new video. Check it out!
I’m getting SO MANY questions on whether we will see the aurora tonight. The honest answer: I don’t know!! Last night’s activity was really low, but there are several CMEs that will likely hit Earth tonight, so there’s a better chance.
That being said, the level of activity that brought about the aurora as far south as FL/TX/Mexico is higher (G5) than what’s predicted (G4). (1/2)
If you’re north of about Washington DC on the east coast, I would say you have a good chance of seeing them tonight away from light pollution. This is the current forecast, which is more conservative than my prediction.
A photographer's dream. I've been photographing at Mono Lake for many years, and never did I expect to get photos like these, I didn't think it was possible. The aurora came and went for only about 15 minutes with that intensity, shifting colors before vanishing. #Aurora#NorthernLights#MonoLake
Has everyone had enough #aurora photography? Probably.
But regardless - here's some attempts at tastefully processing my efforts from Friday night. The colours are indeed absolutely silly - I've left the saturation slider at zero, honestly!
I like my #aurora photos, but feel a bit of a fraud posting them. I saw only faint grey wisps of mist; it was my #PhoneCamera's #algorithms that imbued that mist with colour and shape.
Is it deceptive to distort reality with these photos?
Or (at least on occasion) are phone cameras marvelous tools, like telescopes, macro lenses, or infrared filters, which can actually show us new ways of seeing?
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty..."