2024 SEPTEMBER ALASKA AURORA EXPEDITION #28 RESULTS
by PAUL D. MALEY
102am: A scene perhaps reminiscent of “Ghost Busters” as our lodge seems to be invaded by spirits during the big aurora display of September 11/12. Paul D. Maley photo.
Our 27th Alaska aurora viewing expedition achieved some terrific images on the night of September 11/12 when a CME (coronal mass ejection) hit the Earth. Within one hour of sunset we began to spot low level glows in the southeast as the predicted advance from east to west would begin to proceed. Below I have inserted local times of each photo where I know that information.
The Ovation model produced by NOAA that predicted a solar substorm the night of September 11. We were in the right place! The ‘aurora oval’ circulates around the north pole from east to west and appears normally green in color indicating a background aurora probability is likely. When the color transitions from green to yellow and yellow to red, the likelihood of a major display increases dramatically; however, there is never a guarantee that the ‘prediction’ will come true as suggested.
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MOST OF THE IMAGES THAT FOLLOW WERE TAKEN BY MY TWO NIKON CAMERAS SINCE THEY OFFER THE WIDEST FIELD OF VIEW AND CAPTURE MORE OF THE SKY THAN SMART PHONE CAMERAS.
CONCLUSIONS DERIVED FROM PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFORTS ON THIS TRIP:
DIGITAL SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERAS STILL OFFER THE BEST DEVICES FOR CAPTURING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. YET, SMART PHONES ARE CATCHING UP AND DOING A MUCH BETTER JOB AS NEW MODELS ARE INTRODUCED. WE FOUND THAT HAND-HELD PHONES CAN BE SUCCESSFUL THOUGH HAVING TRIPOD MOUNTED PHONES OFFER A MORE STABLE PLATFORM. THE APPS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE ASSIST GREATLY IN SUCCESSFUL IMAGES. REVIEW THE RESULTS BELOW AND COME TO YOUR OWN DECISION REGARDING FUTURE NORTHERN LIGHTS VIEWING EFFORTS. OLDER MODEL PHONES OFFER A LESS RELIABLE WAY OF TAKING IMAGES AND ‘POINT AND SHOOT’ CAMERAS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED AS BEING USELESS. NOTE THAT THE SUCCESS OF SMART PHONES IS DEPENDENT ON HOW BRIGHT THE AURORA DISPLAY BECOMES. IMAGES BELOW ARE NOT THE NORM AS MOST OF THEM SEEN HERE WERE MUCH BRIGHTER THAN USUAL.
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A red sky at sunset was prophetic heralding a really great show. Zina Mirsky photo.
9:52pm: sunset was at 8:30pm and the first images appeared in the east far earlier than we normally see such signs. The overall sky is relatively bright at this time. Paul D. Maley photo taken with 8mm, Nikon D3100, exposures which follow were between 3 and 15 seconds though generally between 10 and 15 seconds.
Within a few minutes the linear image stretched into an arc that went from the east to west horizon. Paul D. Maley photo.
As the minutes slowly ticked by the arc transformed into a multi-color format with red and green aurora clearly visible. Paul D. Maley photo.
One of the most important images taken this night was of a person using a smart phone to shoot the aurora. Use of smart phones whether Iphone or Android is the majority tool and so using a smart phone app is generally providing a proper assist. The person in the foreground and the camera are in focus but the aurora is not. Obviously you cannot have both a close subject and a subject at infinity both in focus; therefore, the lesson learned here is that one has to verify focus on whatever you want to be in focus. Starting off and shooting a bunch of aurora pictures without checking your focus initially can be a big mistake and a waste of time. I know since I have been there in the distant past. Frank Albi photo with Apple 15 Iphone Pro, 24mm f/1.7, ISO 12500.
Looking east toward the cabin and our observation platform the imagery began to change with auroras of different shapes pushing outward from the southeast. Paul D. Maley photo.
1050pm: the first real dramatic colors began to appear now in the west. Paul D. Maley photo.
1052pm: purple beams spring up in the north under the arc. Paul D. Maley photo.
1055pm: multiple arcs begin to form with red auroras becoming more predominant. Green color is considered background aurora while purple is very unusual. A stray satellite crosses in the center while the Big Dipper can be seen left of center and the constellation of Cassiopeia is over the satellite track. Paul D. Maley photo.
1055pm: the west lights up with more purple and green auroras. Paul D. Maley photo.
A confirming smart phone image by Kathie Van Ronzelen with an Iphone 13 Pro, 3 seconds.
1055pm: normally auroras are not seen to the south but not tonight. A large green band remained in this area for hours while purple auroras flashed out at the zenith. A cloud band remained low on the horizon and it was predicted to move over us within the hour. However, it held off. The summer triangle (Deneb, Vega and Altair) appears in this image. Paul D. Maley photo.
1058pm: The first real umbrella shaped fan appears from overhead in this northward facing viewing showing red, purple, green and orange. I have never seen orange before and this is a mixture of red and green. The lights from the lodge appear in lower center. We are seeing the progression of colors and shapes that rarely manifest themselves at our location. Paul D. Maley photo.
1102pm: Questioning whether orange was really present I turned the camera to the east and this shot confirms it. The red glow is from a light inside the aurora cabin. Paul D. Maley photo.
1102pm: Further adding to the bizarre color scheme ‘yellow’ appears just below the former orange area which has now turned red. I did not notice this color change until reviewing it several days later. Paul D. Maley photo.
1109pm The bizarre color scheme continues with yellow, orange, red, purple and green all appearing in this easterly shot. Paul D. Maley photo.
1114pm: A series of coronas form overhead while the southerly green arcs remain intact. Paul D. Maley photo.
A smart phone image showing purple and green by Kathie Van Ronzelen.
Compare the one above to the one preceding. Photo by Buck Reasor.
1115pm: A confirming image shot due east shows red and off color yellow (perhaps ochre color) in the same region where it earlier was orange and yellow. Lynn Palmer image 14mm f/3.5 lens, ISO 1600.
A slightly different angle and time and camera (Iphone 14 Pro Max) taken by Ralph Petrilli.
Increasing the exposure result in this image. Paul D. Maley photo.
1115pm: the coronas change shape but continue to dominate overhead. Paul D. Maley photo.
1120pm: The fun continues as the corona overhead gets more color-intense featuring red and purple with the green arc still hanging still in the south and the clouds below it not moving very far. Tonight’s display has become an easy progression of appearances that move from one side of the sky easily enough that capturing one does not allow you to miss others. Under a ‘normal’ storm scenario things can happen so quickly that you can only photograph pieces of the display. Paul D. Maley photo.
1123pm: Probably my best photo showing intense colors during the episode. Paul D. Maley photo.
1131pm: The ‘piano keys’ begin to appear with a very slow moving greenish arc. The aurora’s characteristic wavy patterns and ‘curtains’ of light are caused by the lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field. Paul D. Maley photo.
1139pm: The piano key curtain becomes more intense with a red arc appearing between the zenith and green curtain (along with yellow). Paul D. Maley photo.
The photos above and the next one below are by Jane Orlowski and show the same arc structure at the same time taken with _______. Although the field of view is smaller it does confirm the color pattern.
Most later model Iphones have a similar response curve. Compare this one to the one following. Photo by Buck Reasor.
An Iphone14 Pro Max photo by Ralph Petrilli
Iphone 13 mini of the same feature by Sandi Schnall.
Iphone 13 mini of the same feature by Sandi Schnall.
Jane Orlowski photo.
Auroras turn into various shapes that can be recognized as animals or other bodies. This ‘winged creature’ was shot by Zina Mirsky. Olympus OM-1 mirrorless; 7 mm, f2.8, 15 seconds, ISO 1600.
An image by Frank Albi again showing the degree of redness in portions of the display. The constellation of Delphinus appears in the upper right. Apple Iphone 15 Pro, 24mm f/1.7, ISO 5000.
An Iphone ‘grip’ used by Frank Albi as a matter of convenience.
The deep purple color independently affirmed by Frank Albi, Apple Iphone 15 Pro, 24mm f/1.7, ISO 10000.
1205am: After breaking one of my two cable releases thus taking one of the two Nikons out of service, I walked back up to the cabin and sat in a chair to continue working while most people turned in for the night. This show is in the direction of Fairbanks city lights and shows two deep green arcs and part of the lodge building. Paul D. Maley photo.
1209am: A curtain appeared with detailed ‘piano key’ features. A 3 second exposure brought out the most resolution. Paul D. Maley photo.
1212am: Even more detail appears in this 3 second exposure along with orange aurora appearing in the east. Paul D. Maley photo.
1239am: A northern sky curtain appears with a backup feature behind it. Paul D. Maley photo.
110am: Still another big umbrella display covers the lodge. Paul D. Maley photo.
1:17am A butterly aurora appears. Paul D. Maley photo.
1:19am: The butterfly takes on an all-sky appearance. Paul D. Maley photo.
1:46am One of the last images I shot featuring a large orange glow in the southwest along with a corona overhead. Paul D. Maley photo.
MISCELLANEOUS IMAGES
Group photo (left to right): Jane Orlowski, Buck Reasor , Kathie Van Ronzelen, John Brannon, Sandi Schnall, Barbara Gehrs, Marc Schnall, Paul Maley, Ralph Petrilli, Cynthia Petrilli, Lynn Palmer, Nancy Okamoto, Zina Mirski, Joy Albi, Frank Albi.
The group at the Trans Alaska Pipeline. John Brannon image.
Antlers arch in downtown Fairbanks. Zina Mirsky photo.
Running Reindeer Ranch. Sandi Schnall photo.
Chena Hot Springs photo by Zina Mirsky.
Glacier National Park flyover on the way to Fairbanks. Lynn Palmer photo.
End of a glacier at Glacier National Park. Lynn Palmer photo.