One of the most impressive photos was sighting the BIG DIPPER through the aurora. This shot was by Pat Simonich.
THE SKY WAS AFIRE!
by Sue Simonich
It seems 2024 is becoming the stellar year for astronomy buffs, or for those who just enjoy watching the night skies. For many, May 10th was a watershed experience when the Northern Lights lit up the evening.
For our family it was a phenomenon we had hoped to experience for many years. Sunspots and solar eruptions really picked up causing the magnetic field around the earth to be charged with particles that lit the firmament over Wyoming.
We were absolutely flabbergasted by the display, which literally stretched across the entire heavenly dome above our heads. It was so dramatic, it looked like the Milky Way had taken a wrong turn, streaming from east
to west.
In the past, we thought we would see curtains of red and green in the northwest quadrant of the sky. Many nights we have left our curtains open hoping to see the neon performance. WE WERE BLOWN AWAY when it was nothing like we expected.
Around 10 p.m. we stepped outside and noticed that the eastern horizon was aglow, as if the moon was coming up, highlighting streaks of what looked like clouds over the hills. But it seemed odd, because the moon was setting in the west, and obviously nowhere near the ‘clouds’ we were observing in the east. The darkness was tuned up, emitting an uncharacteristic light.
The interesting thing about the phenomena is that in its early stages it is difficult to see with the naked eye. We took out our cameras and began shooting photos, only to discover with great delight that the camera could pick up colors that our simple human eyes could not yet see! The camera caught the colors because digital night shots have a 4 second time lapse that holds the shutter open and picks up finer detail.
According to the Aurora Forecast website, (an app on Google Play Store) the Aurora Activity Index, which ranges from 0 to 9, indicated the strength of the solar storm was above 8 and headed our way in the lower 48.
As the evening progressed, we noticed what looked like a vortex right overhead. For those who believe in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse this configuration would have had you quaking in your boots. Seriously, it looked like some of the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope of faraway galaxies. Colors began to emerge, and we were seeing flashes in the 'clouds' that looked like light bulbs exploding. The curtains of light were moving like they were blowing in the solar wind!
Knowing that the intensity had not quite acquired its maximum range, we stayed out until 1 a.m. and watched it build from East to West, and then it spread across the landscape hovering over the city. The colors then became visible to our feeble eyes. For those of you who missed it, the attached photos will give you a sense of the magnificence we experienced. But as always, photos do not do it complete justice.
These are just a few of the 100s of shots we took. I didn’t want to stop! I finally gave in and went to bed at 3 a.m. It had diminished in intensity but was still visible. Twenty-four hours later on May 11th it was still there, but harder to see.
The solar activity is increasing again, so we will be watching the forecast for more displays and will post them here.
by Sue Simonich
It seems 2024 is becoming the stellar year for astronomy buffs, or for those who just enjoy watching the night skies. For many, May 10th was a watershed experience when the Northern Lights lit up the evening.
For our family it was a phenomenon we had hoped to experience for many years. Sunspots and solar eruptions really picked up causing the magnetic field around the earth to be charged with particles that lit the firmament over Wyoming.
We were absolutely flabbergasted by the display, which literally stretched across the entire heavenly dome above our heads. It was so dramatic, it looked like the Milky Way had taken a wrong turn, streaming from east
to west.
In the past, we thought we would see curtains of red and green in the northwest quadrant of the sky. Many nights we have left our curtains open hoping to see the neon performance. WE WERE BLOWN AWAY when it was nothing like we expected.
Around 10 p.m. we stepped outside and noticed that the eastern horizon was aglow, as if the moon was coming up, highlighting streaks of what looked like clouds over the hills. But it seemed odd, because the moon was setting in the west, and obviously nowhere near the ‘clouds’ we were observing in the east. The darkness was tuned up, emitting an uncharacteristic light.
The interesting thing about the phenomena is that in its early stages it is difficult to see with the naked eye. We took out our cameras and began shooting photos, only to discover with great delight that the camera could pick up colors that our simple human eyes could not yet see! The camera caught the colors because digital night shots have a 4 second time lapse that holds the shutter open and picks up finer detail.
According to the Aurora Forecast website, (an app on Google Play Store) the Aurora Activity Index, which ranges from 0 to 9, indicated the strength of the solar storm was above 8 and headed our way in the lower 48.
As the evening progressed, we noticed what looked like a vortex right overhead. For those who believe in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse this configuration would have had you quaking in your boots. Seriously, it looked like some of the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope of faraway galaxies. Colors began to emerge, and we were seeing flashes in the 'clouds' that looked like light bulbs exploding. The curtains of light were moving like they were blowing in the solar wind!
Knowing that the intensity had not quite acquired its maximum range, we stayed out until 1 a.m. and watched it build from East to West, and then it spread across the landscape hovering over the city. The colors then became visible to our feeble eyes. For those of you who missed it, the attached photos will give you a sense of the magnificence we experienced. But as always, photos do not do it complete justice.
These are just a few of the 100s of shots we took. I didn’t want to stop! I finally gave in and went to bed at 3 a.m. It had diminished in intensity but was still visible. Twenty-four hours later on May 11th it was still there, but harder to see.
The solar activity is increasing again, so we will be watching the forecast for more displays and will post them here.