Catching Auroras

Story

The darkness reigned absolute in the cold Alaskan wilderness. The stars shone as bright as could be, allowing me to see. Not well, of course, but well enough so I wouldn’t trip or stumble in the deep snow. I waited, though, for tonight was all about catching auroras.

The Northern Lights, the aurora borealis, are fickle and unpredictable. Yes, there are apps that help you predict if you will see them, but that’s a prediction, not a guarantee. And yes, the auroras might appear, but they may be just over a hill out of your sight. So, for a single person, it remains hit or miss.

When you’re standing still waiting, the wait stretches forever.

Then, a mere shimmer at first, followed by a glow! Before I knew it, the auroras were cascading down around me. The neon greens gave way to vibrant and iridescent purples, and maybe some colors don’t even have names. The dancing auroras moved as a curtain drawing over the landscape. Tonight I was certainly catching auroras and enjoying the show.

Do the auroras really look like this?

Yes, they do! But. There’s always a catch, right?

The northern lights appear with different intensity on different nights, and even within the same night. Some times, they are bright and easy to see. Some times, they are faint. So, this means that the colors can be brighter or fainter.

And some people have trouble seeing them at all. There’s so many factors that go into it, including whether or not they will appear at all that there is no single blanket statement that covers it.

Cameras always make the display look better. No matter how good it looks to your naked eye, the camera will make it much better. This is because cameras are capturing more light per photograph than our eyes can. More light means more color.

I saw this scene and it awed me. But the resulting photograph, Catching Auroras, truly takes my breath away.