Last night I strapped on my snowshoes to take a walk around Murphy Dome. It’s not really my favorite spot, but it’s a convenient location with a good view and a mostly dark sky. It’s been overcast almost every night in Fairbanks lately, so I didn’t want to take a long drive just to get sopped in and come up with nothing. And what’s with this sore throat? Blargh.
I was really hoping to catch the tail end of the Geminids meteor shower, but had no such luck. Clouds were already filling much of the southern sky right where I needed to be looking. It’s ok, though. The Milky Way and the aurora proved to be excellent distractions.
Oh man, the wind was howling! I couldn’t really photograph the spruce trees because they were moving way too much. It was a full 15 degrees F warmer on the summit than it was at home. It was near freezing, which seems crazy for mid-December. Even with the cutting wind, it didn’t seem too cold. I couldn’t even wear my jacket because I got too hot.
By midnight there wasn’t really anything to look out anymore. Clouds filled the sky except for a little slit near the horizon. I could see that the aurora was still fairly active at times, but I wasn’t going to get to see much of it. Time to head home.
There are quite a few more photos from this day on my photo page: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Date/2014/December/2014-12-15/
Excellent photos! Amazing each Aurora event has so many ways different ways of expressing its Beauty. I compliment you for the quality of your photography and your desire to share these wonderful images.