Welcome back everyone,
I wanted to share some photos from this amazing event.
This was a night to remember, with one of the brightest displays of aurora borealis ever seen from the United Kingdom for a while. Typically, they are so faint, you can only know they’re there by capturing a photo with long exposure. But I have read that we are approaching a solar maximum which will peak between 2024 and 2025, which made them more vivid this time.
While I still couldn’t see with my own eyes the richness of all the fluorescent colors, that showed up in photos- I could make out shapes of the aurora and hints of color. Which was already incredible to witness. I was in absolute awe, gazing at the night sky and watching them shift and move.
It’s amazing to think that the colors are indicated by the chemical composition of Earth’s atmosphere and how each set of colors and types of movements is completely unique. I’ve read that red is typically from nitrogen molecules while green is from oxygen molecules. Being able to make out hints of those colors for the first time was so special.
I was in full amazement. And also, in deep gratitude over Earth’s magnetic field for protecting us and keeping us safe!
It's also worth to mention that I wasn’t in the best spot to see them. I picked a location with the sea as it made for some aesthetic photos, but that also meant being close to streetlamps and light pollution from the town.
I can only imagine the intensity from darker locations.
The 1 am trip was definitely worth it; I was up until 3 am capturing these views. And I definitely would have stayed longer if I didn’t have to get up at 8 am in the morning. After making it back home, I drifted to sleep feeling so grateful for the beauty I witnessed, this whole experience seemed like a dream.