HALLIE EPHRON: There's not a lot on my bucket list, but the one thing I'd still love to see is the Aurora Borealis. When I was in Alaska (the Inside Passage) I saw a teeny tiny streak of luminescent green from a boat's roof deck at two in the morning. Coulda been my dinner disagreeing with me.
Then, last week the Aurora came to town (we're just south of Boston)! Here's a picture that my daughter took using the NIGHT MODE setting on her iPhone camera. (She said just looking up at the sky with the naked eye, there were NO COLORS. None at all.)
She walked over to our local park after dark and there it was.
It's the same field where my daughter played baseball and fortunately there are no lights in it at all.
I, of course, slept through it.
We went over again the following night (hope springs) and, of course, it was just us and the crickets.
Also, it turns out my phone is so old that it doesn't have night vision. Hopefully I'll have it by the time there's another solar storm.
For anyone who's interested, here's a link to information from my local paper about using your cell phone to capture pictures of the Northern Lights.
Did the Aurora come to your town and were you among the lucky ones to see it??
Sadly, although we tried, we were not fortunate enough to get to see the Northern Lights; we did, however, catch a fleeting glimpse of the elusive comet . . . .
ReplyDeleteHow exciting on the comet!
DeleteI didn't even know about it, so I missed it. Actually don't know if I would have seen it in my area.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of it being in OUR area... but there it was.
DeleteTake heart if you missed it, 2025 is supposed to be when the sun flares peak. There will be more opportunities to see it!
ReplyDeleteGosh I hope we get another chance!
DeleteI missed seeing it in Ottawa since my curtains were closed and I did not know about it until the next day.
ReplyDeleteBut I did get to see the Northern Lights on my second trip to Reykjavik Iceland in 2017. Magical.
We'd hoped to see the in Iceland, too, but we were there when it was daylight for 23 hours a day so it wasn't likely.
DeleteI was there February- March. Prime viewing time and it was 20 degrees warmer than Ottawa so I wasn't complaining. I would love to go back to Iceland in the spring or summer.
DeleteI've missed all the recent showings, but have seen northern lights in the darker night sky up at the cottage in summers past. A natural wonder!
ReplyDeleteI gather the further north you go the more likely you'll see them.
DeleteAgain, I slept through it! Gorgeous photos! I have been seeing many on social media.
ReplyDeleteZzzzz, right there with you, Diana.
DeleteYour daughter captured more color than I did with my phone here in Cincinnati, Hallie. But there was definitely what they call a "pink streak".
ReplyDeleteMy oldest daughter lives in Traverse City, and she has become an aurora chaser, getting familiar with the scientific markers for the next display, and getting updates from whichever agency tracks solar flares. She has gotten extraordinary photos, some right from her deck or yard. Their home is at the top of a fairly high hill alongside a golf course, so there is a lot of sky. Last week she was awestricken by what must have felt like living right inside the Northern Lights. Some of her photos had the night filter on, but then she just took them straight, the lights were so intense. At one point the corona was right overhead, and the entire sky was Schiaperelli pink with blue swirls.
A Facebook wag suggested there might be an upswing in peaceful deaths, now that so many people have fulfilled that particular bucket list wish.