Capturing magic

An arctic fox running across the sky, igniting sparks of every color; a horse-drawn carriage carrying guests to a heavenly wedding; a god sending angels to retrieve the souls of fallen warriors — these cultural stories all try to capture the magic of the aurora. 

While these dancing lights usually appear close to Earth’s poles, this year is the best time in more than 20 years for people elsewhere to catch a glimpse. 

Solar activity creates auroras, and we’re nearing solar maximum: the peak in the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle. This manifests in spectacular displays that are more colorful, frequent, and intense than usual and sometimes visible much farther from the poles.

As an avid photographer, I spent the winter in the far North. This close to the poles, the lights danced almost nightly in shades of green, pink, purple, red, yellow, and blue — the result of solar particles interacting with elements like nitrogen and oxygen in different layers of our atmosphere. 

Sometime this year, you may hear that a solar storm is coming and that the aurora might be visible in your area. To improve your odds of seeing something spectacular, try to find a dark, clear sky. Get away from the light pollution of the city if you can and try to avoid cloudy skies since auroras happen in the upper atmosphere.

If you really want to make the most of solar maximum, you might consider traveling toward the best views. Auroras happen close to Earth’s poles, around 60 to 70 degrees north or south of the equator. Heightened solar activity may mean that auroras will stretch farther from the poles than usual, but the closer you can be to those latitudes, the more spectacular your show will be. You’ll want to time your travel carefully, as each pole’s winter is the best time to see the aurora. Right now, it’s winter at the south pole, and from December to March, it will be winter at the north pole. 

Whether you travel to find an aurora or get lucky enough to witness one near where you live, you’ll definitely want to snap some amazing photos. You can capture awe-inspiring shots using nothing more than your phone. Here’s what I’ve found helpful:

• Turn on long-exposure settings: 3-, 5-, or even 30-second exposures will greatly enhance your images.
• Stabilize your phone: Long exposures can create blur if your phone is moving. I recommend setting your phone against something stable or using a tripod.
• Tell a story: Seeing a house, a tree, or something else in the foreground of an image allows the viewers to picture themselves in that environment and helps convey the sheer scale of the event. Providing context will make your photo more than a souvenir; it will tell a story. 

If you have a digital camera or other equipment, you can do even more to enhance your photos:

• Set your exposure to one second initially and adjust from there. A longer exposure means a brighter image, but the moving lights may get blurred.
• Boost your ISO (mine is usually around 3200).
• Use a steady tripod that can handle strong winds.
• Use a wide-angle lens to capture the full view (I use a 16mm, f1.8).

The aurora borealis is the closest thing to magic that I’ve ever encountered. It reminds me of the vast beauty of our Universe and the responsibility we all share to care for this floating rock we inhabit. If you’ve always dreamed of seeing this celestial show, believe me — this is the year to do it.