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The dunes are a newly discovered kind of aurora – and we have unseen photos

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The Northern Lights are on many people’s bucket lists. The celestial phenomenon occurs in the upper levels of our atmosphere. We’ve long sought explanations for these beautiful lights, and extensive research has come up with many answers. We thought we had it all covered until something strange happened. Recently, in Finland, a scientist discovered a new type of Aurora.

Each Aurora we see has a classification, it makes it easier to describe. For example,  these ripples and waves of light got a cool-sounding label like ‘corona’, which describes an Aurora straight above us. The one that appears as if it’s falling straight down. This new observation, labelled ‘dunes,’ was discovered by citizen-scientist Pirjo Koski and her team in Finland.

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The Northern Lights can be seen tonight in the USA

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According to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), there’s a minor geomagnetic storm going on today and tomorrow (9th and 10th) that will cause the Aurora Borealis to appear over the USA’s northern states including Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, north Dakota and the northern tip of Maine as well as Canada and Alaska.

Interesting Engineering reports that it’s expected to start pretty soon, too. They’re scheduled to appear on Friday the 9th from 4-7pm EST and then again from 10pm until 1am tomorrow morning.

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Sagittarius Rising – Long exposure photography from the stratosphere

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One of the most frequently asked questions I get is how I shoot long-exposure photos from the cockpit and how they end up sharp, despite flying at roughly 950kmh / 500kts through the air. I will try to answer that question in more detail, going through the process and challenges step by step. Hopefully it sheds some light (pun intended) on the techniques I use and for the pilot-photographers among us some valuable and easy-to-use tips for your next night-flight.

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This beautiful 8K 360° timelapse shows the Aurora Borealis during a total lunar eclipse

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You guys remember that super blue moon eclipse a couple of months ago, right? Well, while many of us were sitting at home watching it on our computer screens, photographer William Briscoe was out in the Alaskan snow shooting 360° timelapse. And this 8K 360° video captures the beautiful the Aurora Borealis in the middle of it.

Shot on January 31st just near Fairbanks Alaska, William’s film has a fantastic view of the light show as the moon crosses the sky and temporarily disappears into blackness. If you have a VR goggles, or a headset to hold your phone, then just hit play, sit back and relax. It’s only just over a minute long, but it’s a gorgeous sight to see.

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Ten quick tips for photographing northern lights

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The other day I was lucky enough to catch some Northern Lights over my hometown Stockholm. It is quite rare to see them here, especially on a full moon night, and with all the light pollution from the city. The experience of seeing and photographing Aurora Borealis inspired me to compile a video and this article with my 10 best quick tips to catch the northern lights with a camera.

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This photographer shot Northern Lights reflected in a volcanic crater lake

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Photos of Northern Lights and volcanic craters are mesmerizing on their own. Photographer Sigurður (Siggi) William managed to capture them together and created a stunning photo of Aurora Borealis reflected on the water surface of a volcanic crater. We asked Siggi to share with us how he made this fantastic shot, and he shared the details with DIYP.

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The Northern Lights look even more magical from the air

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If you thought the views of the Northern Lights looked good from the ground, wait until you see them from the air. This footage captured by Nathan Starzynski shows a rather unique vantage point. Aboard a flight over Southeastern Alberta around 8pm local time, he was surprised when he looked out of the window to see this.

To capture the timelapse, Nathan extended a tripod and wedged it against the window seat to hold it steady. Plane windows are notorious for reflections, especially when flying at night. So, the camera was pressed against the glass, and then the whole thing covered with a sweater to prevent reflection. Fortunately, he had the whole row to himself, making things a little easier.

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Timelapse video of Aurora Borealis from an airplane window will take your breath away

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Shots from an airplane window can be truly beautiful. And shots of Northern lights can be even more beautiful. But how about combining these two? Well, this is exactly what Aryeh Nirenberg did. This lucky photographer saw Aurora from an airplane window at 35,000ft and created a wonderful timelapsevideo that will take your breath away.
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