September 19, 2023 Auroras

Mount Itasca

A coronal mass ejection (CME) moved past Earth in the evening, so I went out to photograph auroras. As is usually the case, I had to stop by Mount Itasca to run an errand, so I decided to shoot the auroras from there. The jump would make a good location from which to shoot, and I also decided to do some shots from the main ski hill. The main band of auroras were out as I did some work inside the chalet. I checked a couple times, but there was no substorm.

After I finished my work, I took my camera with me and climbed the hill. I composed some shots on the main run and at the top of the chairlift while the auroral oval expanded. I walked onward and reached the 70-meter jump. I climbed to the top and decided it would be a good idea to switch to my wider angle lens (16-35mm). To my disappointment, I found that it had not been in the camera backpack that I so hastily grabbed on my way out. I never took the time to make sure the lenses I wanted were in the pack. I would have to shoot with just the 24mm lens.

I shot a time lapse while a substorm slowly developed. After a few minutes of storming, the auroras expanded directly overhead and started pulsing like lightning. The display was spectacular with a weak corona overhead, but I decided to leave the time lapse camera shooting where it was. The auroras filled the frame of the shots and then gradually began fading. Since it was weeknight, and I needed to be at work in the morning, I decided to pack up and go home after this first substorm.

An auroral arc looking north from the front door of the chalet.

The top of the chairlift silhouetted against the auroras.

The beginning of a slow substorm viewed from the top of the 70-meter jump.

The auroras expand to cover more of the sky.

The auroras fill the northern half of the sky, and I am looking at fast flashes of aurora overhead.

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