Aurora Borealis season has begun in Whitehorse
Unable to get comfortable, I was up extra early this morning – 02:00. As usual, the first thing I did was step out onto the deck to check out the weather and sky. It was 7°C (45°F) and hmmmm – there was a sort of mist across the sky right overhead. Aurora? Perhaps. I got my camera and took a test shot, as cameras “see” the aurora better than the human eye does.
Yes, it was a faint aurora, so I went back in and got my proper gear together. I shoot with a Canon EOS 7D, and mounted my special night-sky lens, a 10mm f2.8 full-manual Rokinon, then mounted the camera on my lighter tripod. Before going back out, I posted a note on my Yukon Aurora Alert group on Facebook.
The first good photo of the faint aurora (with all the proper equipment) was shot on my deck at 02:08.
Out in the yard shooting, north, the sky was beautifully lit up at 02:17.
I thought briefly about driving to a better location (away from trees and my neighbour’s “security” lights), but decided not to. That turned out to be a very good choice.
At 02:20 I was out on the street in front of my home, still dressed in just my pyjamas :)’
At 02:22 a plane was passing overhead – its lights can be seen at the upper left.
02:23 – the aurora faded quickly after that.
At 02:26 I took one final shot from my upper deck, looking northeast. The aurora could still be seen faintly for another half hour or so, then the dawn light overwhelmed what was left.
For a show this early (August 3rd), I was very pleased with that half-hour – a fine, warm start to the season. Fingers crossed for many more good nights.
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