Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
European Space Agency (EAS) Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has shared two incredible Timelapse videos of both the aurora borealis and moonrise from the International Space Station (ISS). The videos show the neon green lights shimmering across the globe and were taken from different vantage points in the ISS.
Also known as the Northern lights, the auroras have been particularly vivid this year due to increased solar flares and activity on the sun’s surface.
Thanks to recent intense solar storms, aurora borealis have been traveling further than it normally does. It’s been seen as far as New York and even some parts of the UK. It looks spectacular from the Earth, but what does it look like from space? ISS astronaut Bob Hines has the answer and yes – it’s as spectacular as you imagine.
Early Monday morning a powerful solar storm hit planet Earth. The stream of charged solar particles from the sun caused an arresting display of aurora when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere. One lucky astrophotographer captured the spectacular sky and also managed to witness a very rare elusive phenomenon called STEVE.
Alan Dyer, an astronomy writer and photographer based in southern Alberta, Canada, knew exactly what he was seeing. The iridescent purple river of light crossing the sky wasn’t just part of the usual aurora, but was created by an entirely different mechanism and wasn’t even discovered until 2017.
Aurora borealis, or the northern lights, is a phenomenon normally seen near the center of the Arctic Circle, in countries like Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada, and Alaska. However, recent solar storms have pushed northern lights towards the south, making them visible as southern as New York.
Photographer Hannahbella Nel recently witnessed aurora borealis in Dartmoor, UK. She was treated by a rare sighting for this part of the world, and she managed to capture it in a series of photos. She kindly shared them with DIYP, as well with some details about her lucky night when she took them.
The northern lights have hit headlines lately as solar flares have sent charged plasma hurtling through space at break-neck speeds. We’ve had reports of aurora being visible at seriously low latitudes, including Luxembourg. There’s a reason for this, and any nighttime photographers need to know what’s going on.
I’ve written a book about the northern lights. It’s a huge passion of mine and I’ve made it my mission to educate myself on nature’s greatest light show as much as I possibly can. I was lucky enough to have spent the past winter travelling throughout the Arctic in my van. I witnessed the aurora on an almost nightly basis and enhanced my knowledge through research and observation. While I love to dive into the science and the technicalities, I’ll spare you those details in favour of the more exciting stuff.
Aurora borealis or northern light is usually visible in the areas close to the center of the Arctic Circle. However, due to the recent solar storm, you may be able to see it as far south as New York! The geomagnetic storm has pushed the aurora closer to the south, so you don’t have to travel as far to the north to capture it in your photos.
A series of particularly intense solar storms have helped create extremely vivid aurora borealis (northern lights) this past week. Astrophotographers across the upper regions of the Northern hemisphere have gone out to capture the incredible phenomena with the lights being visible much further south than is usual due to the greater intensity of the solar storms.
Saskatchewan based Photographer Jenny Hagan took advantage of the situation and created these beautiful images. She describes to DIYP what it was like to witness and photograph such an event.
The Canadian Rockies have always offered breathtaking sights, but take this dramatic mountain setting and pair it with a rare comet that won’t be visible for another 6,800 years and you’ve got the recipe for an awe-inspiring photo opportunity – one that photographers only dream of.
For an Australian mechanical engineer turned award-winning travel and landscape photographer, this dream became a reality in July 2020.
I’m pretty sure that capturing the Northern lights is on every landscape photographer’s bucket list. Well, it sure is on mine. If you’re looking for inspiration and a reason to finally travel and see the Aurora Borealis in person, the travel photography blog Capture the Atlas has a real treat! The winners of the annual Northern Lights Photographer of the Year contest have just been announced, and we share the top images with you.
Aurora Borealis is “the holy grail” for many landscape photographers. If you’re one of them, a hotel in Iceland has a unique offer that you may want to apply for. They will give you a month of room and board and cover your travel expenses. You don’t need to pay with money, but with your photos and videos of the Northern lights.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!