Posts tagged ‘northern lights’

April 29, 2023

Aurora by the city

A little late to process and share & not as grand as the show put up north earlier his week. Still, it was a great experience capturing her dancing and hiding behind the clouds from this past Sun/Mon [4/23 11:30 PM]

The weekend was drawing to a close, and I was getting ready for some much-needed rest before tackling Monday head-on. Suddenly, the aurora alarm went off! Sadly, the ever-unpredictable British weather wasn’t on our side. Nonstop cloud cover is practically a staple here in the UK, and that night was no different. Determined to make the most of it, I researched both weather and aurora forecasts to narrow down my options: either venture up north to Birdlip, a cloudy location with a higher chance of seeing the aurora, or head south to Stonehenge, boasting clearer skies but lower aurora probability. In the end, I took my chances and went for Birdlip viewpoint.

Even amidst significant light pollution, the captivating aurora managed to put on a short but utterly enchanting performance. The cool breeze, the setting crescent moon, the city of Gloucester and Cheltenham all lit up, the aurora gleaming thru the clouds and Lyrids joining the show … What an incredible night it turned out to be!

Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 1250: 16 mm : f3.2 : 15 sec

Aurora by the city
Birdlip, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

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June 25, 2015

Road to Aurora, accompanied by Fireflies

Had been missing on sharing posts lately as work is going crazy. On the night of Jun 22, was working thru midnight, but when the Aurora was still going strong and the weather was forecasted to clear up, it was time to take a decision – to snuck under the blanket for a deserved cozy sleep, after a really long day OR miss out on the sleep and drive out couple hours to get a chance of a lifetime. Being a working day did not help either.

Looking back, I definitely would have regretted, if I had not drove out at 1 AM. Ideal time for Aurora viewing is from 10 PM to 2 AM and a location that is potentially dark, away from the pollution of city lights. The weather was starting to clear only around 3 AM. Hence it was all a hit or a miss.

But oh boy – the big dipper, the lovely colors of aurora dancing & the fireflies that decided to accompany the sweet night – it was quiet an encounter :)

Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 1600 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec

  06.23.2015  3:40 AM CST @ Green River Wildlife Area
Harmon, Illinois, USA
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