Aurora Continues - January 20, 2026

The geomagnetic storm from the 19th continued well into the 20th with some more unbelievable aurora displays. People around town were posting photos of the aurora as early as 6 pm. I left work at 7 pm and raced home to stuff some food in my face and grab all my camera gear.

I had thought about driving further out of town, but the aurora was already popping, so I just went a bit north over the hill to some trails in the Goldstream Valley. It was a good choice as the northern lights totally exploded within 20 minutes of my hitting the trail.

Multiple green auroral bands and rays stretch across the sky above a line of snow-covered spruce trees. The bands appear layered and slightly blurred from motion, indicating rapid movement. — *Rays appearing over the Goldstream Valley*

Broad green auroral arcs sweep overhead, spanning most of the sky. The aurora appears brighter and more diffuse, with soft edges that blur into the surrounding darkness. — *Bands and rays expanding over the trees*

Green auroral bands twist and fold across the night sky above a dark, snow-covered forest. Subtle purple highlights appear within the aurora as it shifts and fades. — *Starting to fill the whole sky*

The aurora fills nearly the entire sky with overlapping green bands and faint purple tones. The foreground shows snow-covered ground and spruce trees silhouetted against the light. — *Filling the sky*

Tight, luminous green auroral bands curve sharply overhead, forming bright, well-defined arcs. The motion creates streaked textures across the sky above dark spruce silhouettes. — *The bands tightened and brightened as they moved overhead*

I shot uninterrupted at this spot for about 25 minutes straight, with the aurora intensifying almost the entire time. It was definitely one of those displays that could just drop your jaw. Luckily, it was only about -5°F too, so I didn’t get too cold. Only the fingers on my right hand, which were operating the camera and tripod, started to get a little numb.

Green auroral bands separate into thinner strands and begin to shimmer, creating a rippling effect across the sky. The motion blur emphasizes rapid changes in shape and intensity. — *Bands separating as the aurora starts to shimmer*

An auroral corona forms directly overhead, with green light radiating outward from a central point. The pattern resembles spokes or petals spreading across the sky. — *Corona erupts overhead*

A bright green auroral corona hangs above a snow-covered spruce forest. Vertical rays converge toward a central point high in the sky, creating a dramatic radial pattern. — *Corona over the trees*

lowing green auroral curtains stretch across the sky above tall spruce trees. The aurora appears softer and more diffuse, with gentle motion blurring the edges. — *It just kept going…*

The overhead corona lasted for about 3 minutes, which is really long for that type of activity. Afterward, the sky quieted down substantially. I took the time to set up my primary camera to run timelapses while I shot stills with my second and a narrower lens.

Green auroral curtains arc diagonally across the night sky above a snow-covered spruce forest. The aurora appears bright and diffuse, with soft vertical streaks and subtle purple tones near the edges. Tall spruce trees stand in silhouette in the foreground, their branches coated with snow, while faint stars are visible through thinner areas of the aurora. — *Aurora over the trees*

I spent about 3 hours outside total before calling it a night. There were a few more bright episodes as the night went on, but nothing as great as the first half hour. Activity was incredibly high all night, though I missed quite a bit of it. I was tired and cold, and I had to work the next day.

I still have a few more photos to edit and post, but the majority of them are up on my website here: Aurora from January 20, 2026.