April 10, 2015 Auroras
Grand Rapids, MN
A CME impact from a solar flare occurred during the day, increasing the solar wind magnetic field strength to 20 nT. Bz dropped to nearly -10 nT for a little bit but then went neutral to northward in the evening. That did not stop the auroras, though. With clouds sliding in from the north-northwest, I decided to shoot on Prairie Lake so I could move east on 61 to give me quick access to 169 to escape the clouds. It didn't really matter, though, as I was feeling more and more under the weather, making it really difficult to do any more shooting after midnight.
 |
| Some structure appears not long after I arrived at Prairie Lake. |
 |
| Auroras expanded, and a secondary, dim band appeared directly overhead. |
 |
| I always seem to revert to my 24mm lens, even after I've decided to shoot at 16mm. |
 |
| I went to ISO 400 as the auroras brightened. I like the crossing angles here. |
 |
| A bit more structure here, and auroras are filling most of the northern sky. |
 |
| Since the auroras were staying high in the sky, I decided to go below the dam and shoot over the Prairie River. |
Back to Auroras | Home
