October 11
I signed up for the Aurora Alert from the University of Alberta a few years ago. It sends out an email when the Aurora Borealis is active near Edmonton. Tonight I got an alert at 9:18 pm. So I began my normal research, checking other websites for confirmation , the weather forecast for clear skies and such so I could decide if it would be worthwhile to drive out of Edmonton to see them.
At 9:54 pm, I got a text from my neighbour, Owen “FYI just finished watching the Northern Lights. They are still going strong.” He was on the riverbank about 100 meters from our house. So I quit looking at my computer and went outside.
The challenge with photographing Northern Lights in the city is all of the city lights make it difficult to see the aurora. When I first went out, I could see the green glow on the horizon. Then I notice a couple of green stripes, This looked promising. Sheryl came out just as a large green vapour trail cut across the sky above us from horizon to horizon and started to twist and turn. Hailey joined us as the eastern horizon exploded in greens and red hues. My frantic phone calls to Connor failed to wake him up. The show continued for about a half hour and then diminished back to a green glow on the horizon.It was by far the brightest aurora that we have seen in the city.
Just think what my photos would have been like if I had actually got in my truck and drove out on the country!
Stay well !
