Red And Green Aurora Pillars
by Dale Kauzlaric
Title
Red And Green Aurora Pillars
Artist
Dale Kauzlaric
Medium
Photograph - Fine Art Photography
Description
Red And Green Aurora Pillars by Dale Kauzlaric -- The data was indicating the northern lights had a chance of appearing. As I headed out it was clearing in the west. So I went to a spot east of Merrill in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. But as I was sitting to see what the clouds would do, I could see they were not moving fast enough. I decided to go west of Merrill instead, about a 40 minutes drive. This spot I had scouted earlier in the summer. It had the water I wanted for a possible reflection. As I got to my new spot it was dark. I could see the edge of the clouds was overhead and heading to the east. I waited about 2 hours and the green glow started. It started out slow with a green glow on the horizon. It continued to get stronger and then the red and green pillars appeared. This lasted about a half hour and began to fade.
The aurora borealis or northern lights is a colored light display that is visible in the night sky, usually only around the earth’s poles. It occurs when charged particles are emitted from the Sun and ride the solar wind. The particles can be emitted by coronal mass ejection or solar flares. Only particles directed in earth’s direction can be seen in the aurora. These particles are drawn by earth's magnetic field to both polar regions. Hundreds of miles up, they collide with gas molecules and atoms, causing them to emit light. The color of the northern lights is dependent on the type of molecules or atoms, the particles collide with. Generally, the aurora is green, but it can also be red, purple or a very rare blue and in varying shades of those colors. The aurora can be seen as just a glow or as waves or pillars, depending on its intensity. The aurora has to be fairly intense to be seen in Wisconsin’s latitude. There are several factors that have to come together, in order for the aurora to be visible at our latitude and not just at the north pole. The aurora is fairly common in the arctic, but not in Wisconsin. The other big variable is you need clear skies, not clouds. To find your best chance to see the aurora, you must get away from the city lights; to somewhere where you have dark skies. Your eyes can take up to 10 minutes or more to adjust to the darkness, to see your best. Human eyes cannot see the colors that the camera sensor can gather. However, we can usually see the tints of color in the lights and this will depend on the intensity. Some people can see the colors better than others, too. No two auroras are the same and that is what is so special about this phenomenon. Good luck in your aurora hunting, but watch out, it can be addicting! --
dalekphotography.com
Uploaded
January 23rd, 2018
Embed
Share