The Green Tsunami

Contrary to predictions the sky was largely quiet tonight, filled with lazy green smudges – from 8 pm until after midnight, nothing moved. Then, at about 1 am, the sky exploded with a fast-moving, shimmering display. The motion was so fast, in fact, that it was almost impossible to capture : as soon as you clicked the shutter, the curtains moved out of the frame. There were some stunning shapes, but I was only able to get a handful of them, like this tidal wave of green, part of a swirling loop that at one point nearly filled the sky.

If there is a monotonous quality to all these green pictures I’ve been showing, forgive me. I wanted to show what a week of aurora photography could produce: yes, I would have loved to have captured some reds and purples – the rarer, and more sought-after, of auroral colors. But the displays are entirely dependent on the strength of solar activity – not much we can do about that. And I still can’t believe our luck in having five straight days of clear nights and visible displays. Trust me, it’s not always like this : last time we were here we waited through five cloudy nights before we finally got a chance to see the Lights.

Tonight is our last night here, and time will tell if we finally get some color – or a solid blanket of clouds. Either way, it’s been a sensational week in a wonderful place. (NOTE : I have photographed aurora in many places, but few so well-situated, so comfortable, and so well-run as Blachford Lake Lodge – I can’t recommend it enough)

Meanwhile, to break the visual tedium, I’m posting the image below of ice crystals at yesterday’s sunrise through my window. A nice chance to do photography – warm and snug – while still in your pajamas…