October 11, 2024 Auroras

Chippewa National Forest

A major coronal mass ejection (CME) impact occurred during the midday hours, and Bz dove strongly southward (to -40 nT). I knew this would bring auroras to the southern skies. The major problem was that the southern skies were mostly overcast. High, thin clouds were overspreading the area, associated with a weak low pressure area moving through the Upper Midwest. These clouds would bring little in the way of rainfall, and they were thin enough that it might be possible to see bright auroras through them, even through the moon was slightly more than 1/2 full.

I had mountain bike practice earlier in the evening, and I drove home and fixed some dinner quickly. I then texted a friend of mine, and we met at the Bass Lake boat ramp. The skies were overcast with cirrostratus, but we could occasionally see some brigher coronas overhead.

Auroras shining through a cirrostratus overcast near Cohasset, MN.

After a few minutes, I looked at infrared satellite loops and noticed an opportunity to drive northwest to some better sky conditions. Off I went. I drove up Highway 46 (Avenue of Pines) out of Deer River. I kept looking up to see if there were stars or auroras above me. I saw that once I got to the same latitude as the north shore of Lake Winnibigoshish, I would probably have a big clearing in the cirrostratus deck. Indeed, once I got a few miles past Winnie Dam Road, I looked up and saw a brightening band of auroras directly over my head. I stopped as soon as I could find a forest road to pull onto.

Looking up from the Avenue of Pines.

Once I snapped a few shots, I looked for the nearest place to stop and shoot. I found a south-facing boat landing at Cutfoot Sioux and pulled into that spot to take advantage of the temporary clearing. Conveniently, I bright corona developed overhead and just to the south. Things then quieted down a bit, and the clouds began to move back in, but the overcast was not solid enough to block everything. I spent the next couple hours picking spots to shoot as the clouds would fill in some areas and leave openings in others. Overall, it was a somewhat challenging night given the partially overcast conditions, but it was still an awesome experience!

Corona over the Mosomo Boat Landing.

Some reds become dominant. Looking southwest.

Looking back east.

Another bright corona overhead.

More bright columns to the north.

Solar wind conditions featured the second best Bz this year (dipping just below -40 nT).

Back to Auroras | Home