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September 19, 2015 Auroras

Itasca County

I probably would not have gone out to shoot as I was tired from a long week of work, but I was having a sleepless night, and so I kept checking the solar wind parameters.  At 2:00 AM, I had had enough, and I packed up the gear and headed north on Highway 38.

I did not make it out of town before the auroras started dancing (that seems to be a common occurrence lately).  It wasn't too wild of a dance as the bright columns stayed within the original oval structure rather than spreading out over more of the sky like they usually do.  As such, they formed a "Jaws" type structure, which I photographed from McKinney Lake on the north side of town.

Nice Auroras
"Jaws" over McKinney Lake.
Nice Auroras
"Jaws" over McKinney Lake.

I then decided to move north a bit. Not thinking of any new place to shoot, I ended up at Pughole Lake. There, the stars really reflected in the water, and the auroras were glowing more calmly in the northern sky. The quiet was, however, interupted by a very persistent (even maybe obsessive-compulsive) beaver that kept tail-slapping while I was there. It wasn't too much of a nuisance, but I was worried it would awaken the people who live in the area if they had their windows open.

Nice Auroras
The auroral oval and the Milky Way over Pughole Lake.
Nice Auroras
The clarity of the star reflections in the water made me turn my camera away from the auroras for a bit.
Nice Auroras
Back to the north as the auroras brighten up again.

I decided to head south again to find a new place to shoot, but again, I could not think of one, so I stopped at Prairie Lake

Nice Auroras
Looking north over the south part of Prairie Lake.

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