February 9, 2016 Auroras
Grand Rapids, MN
In my typical middle aged schedule, I fell asleep around 10:45 and awoke at 4:30 (too early). Knowing that I would be awake at least an hour before getting any more sleep, I decided to check on cloud and solar wind conditions. Both looked favorable for seeing auroras, so I popped out the front door to check. I saw clear skies and stars to the north, but I could not see auroras. A further look at conditions convinced me that the auroras were present but too dim to be seen from town.
Indeed, when I visited two of my favorite shooting locations on the north end of town, I spotted the typical early morning type of auroras: diffuse blobs of green that pulsed on a time scale of about 5 or 10 seconds. I took a few shots and headed back home to get some volunteer work done before heading to my paying job.
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| Auroras over McKinney Lake. My first auroras of 2016 that were not mostly obscured by clouds. |
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| Auroras over the bog. |