Aurora Borealis Picture Taking

[Melanie Kern-Favilla]

Thanks, Mike. So if I'm reading the chart correctly, it's at about -8.3 right now. Does it usually continue to get more favorable (closer to -10) as the evening progresses? I'm trying to be optimistic. And thanks for the advice about going out at sunset.

And that photo is breathtaking, btw...

 

[Nick Nolte]

cool, that spacew.com/plots.php just went to red for the mid-latitudes. We need a NOW thread for the geomagnetic storm...haha.

 

[Melanie Kern-Favilla]

Okay, we just hit -10.....Woooo Hooooo.....

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Thanks, Mike. So if I'm reading the chart correctly, it's at about -8.3 right now. Does it usually continue to get more favorable (closer to -10) as the evening progresses? I'm trying to be optimistic. And thanks for the advice about going out at sunset.

And that photo is breathtaking, btw...

No there's really no "usual" for any of it, other than maybe a C3 usually won't do much more than is being done now lol. Seems maybe they like to hold where they have shown some holding and not dive much after that. But I don't know that much. Just that the best hope might be in the filament cme deal helping this first hit.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/forecast.html

Damn I first saw that update and was like wth they dropping the probs for tomorrow night now. But look at them closer the active dropped but the better minor storm is up'd.

A. Middle Latitudes
Active 40/30/25
Minor storm 20/40/10
Major-severe storm 05/20/05

Day 1/Day 2/Day 3 is how that is listed. 40% minor storm is pretty good for mid-lats around solar minimum obviously lol. I'm super optimistic at the least being able to photograph something given 2 all nighters.

 

[Nick Nolte]

So I just looked at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/ and it gives you magnetic latitudes for cities, then you can look up that lat in a table and it tells you what Kp Index you need to see it.

So for me, Detroit is pretty close to the same lat, 52 magnetic degrees north. Table says Kp needs to be 7. Earlier on that page it also says that you may be able to see the aurora if it's southern extent is 4 to 5 degrees poleward of your location, so does that mean (52+4 = 56) that I might see something of Kp index 5?

 

[Tyler Burg]

So I just looked at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/ and it gives you magnetic latitudes for cities, then you can look up that lat in a table and it tells you what Kp Index you need to see it.

So for me, Detroit is pretty close to the same lat, 52 magnetic degrees north. Table says Kp needs to be 7. Earlier on that page it also says that you may be able to see the aurora if it's southern extent is 4 to 5 degrees poleward of your location, so does that mean (52+4 = 56) that I might see something of Kp index 5?

I'm not even sure KP means anything anymore, pretty sure its just the warning levels. I don't think its actual data, its like a tornado watch in a way - conditions are favorable for auroras at a given location, right now we have a KP6 so in theory I should be able to see auroras, but the Bz is north at +3. Plus it only updates every 3 hours, and often time SW won't put it up till its already gone back north. Thats why Bz is a better chart to look at. I've still not seen them so I could be totally wrong though lol

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Just noticed the NOAA forecast for a major storm has been upped from 10% to 35% for high latitudes, and from 5% to 20% for mid-latitudes for the 24-48 hour range.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Well I could see and photograph them tonight from north of Omaha 40 miles or so. Just had to really watch and everyonce in a while the glow would glow a little brighter. Then with a fast 1.8 lens and high iso it was easy to pick up tall tall pillars. Lots of shooting stars tonight as well. And crazy clear milkyway. Even had some conveciton flickering away down way low. WIsh the one band of clouds had not been there down low then.

They've been gone but have just slowly came back some, 12:35.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

I see it is still at KP 6 - Storm Level but the storms up N of here would waste it even if it was better tonight.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Couple from last night, that from around 42 degrees north is all. 3200 ISO and F1.8 6-12 seconds. It was mostly just the green arc and red/purple above that for the majority of the time. Then a small window you could see it getting brighter, so knew to snap some pics again and the above was happening. I don't think the Bz was even below zero at that point. This at 11:30 central time.

 

[Dean Baron]

Not nearly as good as Mike's but this is probably the best I got. Taken west of Pine City, MN. Really hoping for more tonight because I think I have a better handle on camera settings for these now.

 

[Patrick Martin]

I'm so glad there is a thread about the Aurora because I was going to start one anyway...

I'm having trouble determining how far south the Lights will be visible. I can't seem to find any type of coordinates. The Boston Globe mentions that you should be able to see them from Cape Cod. I'm on Long Island, which is fairly close. Do you think I'm too far south? Ideas, anyone?

I'm thinking that LI might be to far south + with the light polution anywhere west of Riverhead, it's would be tough. The only hope might be out on the far eastern tip (perhaps Greenport or Montauk?), but then again, you'll still have some light polution to the north from New Haven/New London CT and the RI coast.

 

[Tyler Burg]

Saw them last night as well, first around 10pm when they had a short burst above a cloud layer on the horizon, could barely see a green glow above the cloud layer. I decided to get further away from the light pollution of the city and got west about 20 miles. Once I got pulled over again the glow was much more apparent, and after about 30 minutes of watching it slowly got brighter and rushed south briefly, just one little wave. Probably lasted 2 minutes. For a little bit I could see pillars moving which was cool, all the while this was happening I kept thinking it was about to come WAY south, thus I had my 10mm lens on when this burst happened. Should have had the 50mm 1.8 on. Maybe next time (tonight?). Also observed 3 perseids all by accident, if it's clear tonight I'll just go out looking for meteors, and maybe get lucky again and get another aurora display.

 

[L.B. LaForce]

The highest ISO I can get on my D40 is 1600, although there is a High1 setting (which I don't know what that is). Think it would be more beneficial to use the 18-155mm f3.5-5.6 lens, or my new 55-200mm f4-5.6 VR lens? I was thinking the 18-55mm since it would give me a little wider field of view, and the lower f stop.

 

[Tyler Burg]

The highest ISO I can get on my D40 is 1600, although there is a High1 setting (which I don't know what that is). Think it would be more beneficial to use the 18-155mm f3.5-5.6 lens, or my new 55-200mm f4-5.6 VR lens? I was thinking the 18-55mm since it would give me a little wider field of view, and the lower f stop.

Hey LB, I have a D40 as well, my shot above was at iso 1600, High1 will give you a very ugly noisy image. Tonight I think i'm going to go back to my kit lens with f/3.5 at 18mm. I was using my 10-20mm f/4-5.6 at 20mm is 5.6 which totally sucked, I couldn't get a proper exposure with 30 seconds! I wouldn't use the telephoto. Seemed last night that even my 50mm 1.8 was too small of a field of view. Should have just used the kit lens so I could open up the lens more.