Aurora Borealis

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Featured Articles

Honesty in Aurora Photography
Honesty in Aurora Photography

I've heard a few stories recently about disappointed "aurora tourists". Do the photos really look like what you see in social media? My article on honesty in aurora photography.

aurora borealis over fairbanks alaska
What Causes the Aurora

A basic, yet comprehensive explanation of what causes the aurora. Tying together the solar wind, geomagnetic field, Van Allen belts, atomic energy states, and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Viewing and Photographing the Northern Lights
Viewing and Photographing the Northern Lights

Tips on viewing and photographing the northern lights. Where to see the northern lights and how to plan your aurora chasing vacation!

Focus and Setup for Aurora and Night Photography
Focus and Setup for Aurora and Night Photography

It’s dark. Your autofocus is not going to work the way you think it is. Unless you believe it’s not going to work. Then you are right. For aurora photography, I am usually shooting at...

Camera Settings For Aurora Photography – How to Take Great Northern Lights Photos
Camera Settings For Aurora Photography – How to Take Great Northern Lights Photos

A detailed guide to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO camera settings specifically for aurora photography. How to take great photos of the northern lights!

Aurora Post Processing 2: Raw Therapee

Aurora Photography Tutorials As I eagerly await the release of GIMP 2.10 that will support both 16 and 32 bit color depth, I figured it's a fine time to continue what I started with aurora...

Aurora Post Processing 1: White Balance and Noise using UFRAW

(For more in-depth editing, check out the second installment: Aurora Post Processing 2: Raw Therapee) - These posts are a bit outdated, using old versions of this software, but the information is still relevant. I'll...

Aurora Blog

Aurora Borealis – February 26, 2023
Aurora Borealis – February 26, 2023

Beautiful layers of aurora dancing in the moonlight on February 26, 2023 It's safe to say the Sun has been incredibly active the last few weeks. On February 24 and 25, the Sun spit out...

Valentine’s Day Aurora – 2023
Valentine’s Day Aurora – 2023

Valentine's Day Aurora - February 14, 2023 Great show with lots of photos of the northern lights from Fairbanks, Alaska and information on potential displays over the next few days!

Aurora Borealis – January 14, 2023
Aurora Borealis – January 14, 2023

One of the 250 photos I took of the aurora borealis on the night of January 14, 2023 On the evening of January 14, 2023, between 9:30 and 10:15 pm Alaska time, the aurora borealis...

Aurora Borealis – November 28-29, 2022
Aurora Borealis – November 28-29, 2022

Aurora Borealis - November 28-29, 2022 from Fairbanks, Alaska. Photos, stories, and potential up-coming northern lights on my aurora blog.

Early November Light
Early November Light

I'm always amazed at how fast the seasons change here in Fairbanks. Not just the weather but the daylight. It didn't even get fully dark at night three months ago. Today, there are only 6...

Aurora Borealis – October 11, 2021
Aurora Borealis – October 11, 2021

Aurora dancing in the night sky on October 11, 2021 - Fairbanks, Alaska | Purchase Print On October 9, 2021, a coronal mass ejection (CME) from an associated M1 solar flare burst free from the...

Faint aurora glow in the northern sky from Fairbanks, Alaska
Aurora and STEVE – September 12, 2021

A few photos of a faint aurora and STEVE from Fairbanks, Alaska from the early morning of September 12, 2021.

New Season of Aurora Borealis – September 1, 2021
New Season of Aurora Borealis – September 1, 2021

Aurora borealis on September 1, 2021 from Fairbanks, Alaska. In my aurora blog and my photo of the week ending September 5, 2021.

April 25, 2021 – Aurora Borealis
April 25, 2021 – Aurora Borealis

On April 25, 2021 I hiked out to watch the northern lights from Angel Rocks. It turned out to be one of the best displays I've seen in ten years!

Aurora borealis in the twilight. April 22, 2021 - Fairbanks, Alaska
April 22, 2021 – Aurora Borealis

Midnight view through the forest on April 22, 2021 There are only two more days before the darkest it gets in Fairbanks is nautical twilight, when only the brightest stars are visible and the Sun...

April 18, 2021 - Aurora Borealis over Fairbanks, Alaska
April 17-18, 2021 – Aurora Borealis

Last night may have been the best aurora displays I've seen in years. And it was persistent. When I first walked out there was a bright band in the southern sky. About 10 minutes later...

April 16-17 – Aurora Borealis
April 16-17 – Aurora Borealis

April 16, 2021. In Fairbanks, we have to say goodbye to the aurora in April. We’ve already begun the time when the Sun dips no more than 18 degrees below the horizon at night (astronomical...

aurora on March 13, 2021
March 13, 2021 – Aurora Borealis and Plumbing

Aurora Borealis Blog The fast solar wind stream from a southern coronal hole continues, and we continue to benefit from its impact on Earth's magnetic field! Aurora emerging over the trees | Purchase Print The...

March 12, 2021 Aurora Borealis
March 12, 2021 Aurora Borealis

Aurora over Fairbanks | Purchase Print Earth has entered a fast solar wind stream from a coronal hole sparking some nice northern lights last night! After a spike in plasma density about a day ago,...

Aurora Borealis – February 19-21, 2021
Aurora Borealis – February 19-21, 2021

Aurora borealis displays February 19-21 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Geomagnetic storms sparked from a fast solar wind from a coronal hole have provided us with great northern lights!

Aurora at Angel Rocks
Yikes . . . Has it really been this long?! Spring in Alaska

It sure doesn't feel like it, but it's been over a year since I've published a blog-post. I've still been writing, editing, and updating, but not publishing new things. I've still been out taking photos...

Aurora Borealis – October 6, 2015 – Planetary Alignment!

I woke up early to photograph a cool planetary alignment of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter with a quarter moon. I lucked out because the aurora was still going strong at 4:30 am! We were also...

Aurora Borealis – September 11, 2015
Aurora Borealis – September 11, 2015

The first impressive aurora borealis display I witnessed this season was shortly after midnight on September 11. It broke up fairly quickly, becoming diffuse, but it was brilliant for about 10 minutes. There were some...

Two nights on the Tors trail
Two nights on the Tors trail

Ghostly aurora from the Granite Tors Trail | Purchase Print I'm awakened in the night by a shiver. I have somehow found my way deep in my sleeping bag, sticking my nose toward the tiny...

Northern Lights – February 1st, 2015
Northern Lights – February 1st, 2015

Jenn and I managed to do a bit of aurora watching in mild(er) temperatures early in the morning on February 1st. I had been keeping my eye on the real-time aurora cameras, and the northern...